


Heroic Blaze SolAka (壮烈火炎 ソルアカ)

by DoggieCornerW



Series: SolAka Series ( ソルアカシリーズ) [1]
Category: Original Work
Genre: Airplanes, Alien Culture, Alien Invasion, Alien Planet, Alien Technology, Battle, Betrayal, Bonding, Cars, China, Chinese Language, Chinese Mythology & Folklore, Comedy, Comic, Corny, Cyborgs, Dinosaurs, Dragons, Drama, Eggs, Fighter Pilots, Friendship, Gen, Giant Robots, Golems, Guns, Hinduism, Inspiration, Japan, Japanese Culture, Japanese Mythology & Folklore, Justice, Kaiju, Kanji - Freeform, Kings & Queens, Lasers, Major Original Character(s), Male-Female Friendship, Mecha, Military, Moeru, Moon, Naga, Nuclear Weapons, Original Fiction, Outer Space, Parody, Passion, Phoenixes, Planets, Revenge, Rivalry, Science Fiction, Shinto, Shitennou, Shounen Fights, Snakes, Solar Energy, Solar System, Song Lyrics, Soul Bond, Space Battles, Suparobo, Super Sentai, Swords, TV Tropes, Tigers, Tokusatsu - Freeform, Tributes, Tropes, Turtles, United Kingdom, United States, War, comets, otaku, スパロボ, スーパーロボット, 熱血, 燃え
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-04-03
Updated: 2014-11-04
Packaged: 2018-01-18 00:18:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 15
Words: 37,914
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1407976
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DoggieCornerW/pseuds/DoggieCornerW
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Fiction inspired by the Super Robot genre. The story follows Hiori Soratoga, a part-time teacher in disguise and pilot of the titular red mecha, in her fight against an evil space monarchy intent on ruling Earth. Friendship, guts, and biophilia. Created in March 2009.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Introduction: Through the STORMS

**Author's Note:**

> **Selected Japanese Title:** 壮烈火炎 ・ ソルアカ
> 
>  **Romanji:** sōretsu kaen ・ soruaka
> 
>  **Meaning behind _"souretsu"_ :** I picked souretsu (壮烈) because it means heroic or brave. Furthermore, the word provides more intensity (to me). Something or someone's spirit is high and acts with extreme bravery to prosper or to succeed. There are different Chinese letters and words for brave/heroic, but wanted something that sprouted more strength or is overwhelming. Something seen as epic and notable, and moves a person. Souretsu can even describe a god, war, or a story.
> 
> **Meaning behind "solaka":** The word aka (赤, アカ, or あか) simply means the color red in Japanese. Also used to define the color of fire. Sol, in many languages like Spanish, Old Norse and Portuguese, means the sun.
> 
> Currently on FictionPress, this story is five years old (March 2009) and suffers long gaps up time in between chapters.

It was April 4, in the year of 2010.

A heartfelt voice of a girl resounded across the city of Tokyo, Japan:

"Yami! Your shadows won't embrace me! When growing in power, everything else narrows including your insight and modesty. I will not allow the Dynasty to dictate humans. I won't let you oppress their beauty!" A loud crashing sound followed after that.

Another voice, a woman, screamed in fury. "D-Damn you Princess! Why would you want to protect these neand-!"

"De-yaaaaaah!" The girl lets out a spirited yell cutting off the woman, and there was another crash. A heavyweight black mecha, standing over forty meters in height, fell back from receiving its second blow to the face.

"There are good people in the world," said the dignified girl. "They have the magic of being colorful, charming! When they are able to conquer their mistakes, toils and fears, and shift from being discontent to happy after realizing how prized their actions are, it gives them the will to live. Everything with a charm can spread happiness. And for you to prevent that with your tyranny, like back then, I'll never forgive you!"

It was like, to describe it in Western terms, "the shot heard around the world" – an unforgettable and dramatic moment that would echo through time, and the hearts of those who was there to witness it. In Tokyo, a red bird-like mecha appeared to battle against the forces declaring themselves as the Deva Dynasty. Five hours before the attack, all of Japan received an announcement from the Dynasty's leader, who stated that he was the next ruler of Earth. Not even NHK could override the broadcast. Even worse, it wasn't taken all that seriously until the attack came.

Ever since the early 1920s, Tokyo has been the location of many high-scale disasters: earthquakes, war and bombings, volcanic eruptions, and even invasions from extra-terrestrial forces. In contemporary time, very few would believe that aliens would attack the Earth, like what happens in children's comic or cartoons. The ones who saw it with their own eyes became old and were expected to be senile. Even the newspapers they kept to show the later generations were believed to be fake. But, surely, records saved by the government showed it. Concerned over Japan's national security, the Prime Minister of Japan approved of a versatile agency able in response to such threats – the  **Hoshizawa Association (** 普仕沢連合会 **)**. The Hoshizawa, comprised of members of the Japanese Self-Defense forces, the digital cooperation Toshiba and other industries, was tasked to developing advanced weapons (like mecha) and war tactics against the abnormalities. It was their job to face off against the so-called Deva Dynasty.

However, Hoshizawa was not today's highlight – it was the tall red bird mecha and its operator, whoever she may be. Throughout the fight, she kept being called "Princess". She was a brave princess with a fiery heart. Her energy was channeled through her fighting, reflecting her virtuous words. And despite the danger, many of the evacuees stare at the battle in awe. When the fight ended with the Deva Dynasty's retreat, the red bird ascended into the sky at amazing speeds and penetrated the stratosphere. Then it disappeared from radar.

Now, the association and the rest of the world were curious about the red robot.

Curious about the so-called "southern legacy of Shirei"...known as SolAka.

* * *

 

_FLY ahead to your dreams_

_Skies have no boundaries, so spread your wings_

_LOVE boils deep inside_

_A heart of true belief, push what you seek_

_Just like the sun rising through the twilight, our eyes foresee a new day_

_Cleansing the dark and the fears of Earth_

_Soaring by..._

_...She appears!_

_Eternal typhoon of divine righteousness_

_An angel of red and yellow steel_

_Whirl, Gale Talon!_

_Burn, Nova Beam!_

_That FIGHTING SPIRIT hot as the sun_

_Brave noble of the Heavenly Stars_

_Blazing Phoenix Queen SolAka_

_Unveil, Eyes of Judgment_

_Strike, Seki-Shin-Ken_

_That immortal, brave spirit of justice never burns out_


	2. Arrival

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In a Tokyo hospital, Shōgakkō (Elementary school) teacher Yuuko Hidaka is visited by her mother Meimi and some of her students. They bring her gifts to wish her a swift recovery from a car accident, and she openly expresses her thanks. Shortly after they arrive, a student tells everyone to turn on the TV. Through an international message, a person expresses his long-time goal of world domination.

_A new heroic story hatches here._

 

It took him seven minutes, but eight-year-old Kazuharu Hamada (浜田 一春) finally managed to finish gift wrapping his present. He was still vigorous from the after school Aikido club and still had hours to spare. "Bye mom!" Kazuharu called out before walking out of the door and towards the gate between the walkway and the street. Standing in front of the gate awaited five of his friends and an elderly woman. Kazuharu unlocked the gate, opened it, and greeted them all with a friendly smile. "Hi! Are we all ready?"

"I don't like to think about how agonizing the long walk ahead may be," Meimi Hidaka (火高 命美), a woman of about seventy years old with long auburn and gray hair said, smiling warmly, "but yes I'm ready."

"That's the spirit, Mrs. Hidaka!" said one cheerful girl with light brown curly hair. "Besides, it won't be a dull long walk. We will take the rail!" That was Sumi Tezuka (手塚 すみ), and she was so pepped up that she didn't seem to consider that old Meimi had to carry the largest gift. It was covered in red wrapping paper with yellow stars across it, and almost literally looked like the size of a cargo box. Kazuharu's face changed into an expression of concern, "Mrs. Hidaka, isn't that too heavy for you?"

"No," said Meimi, "not at all." Her answer sounded genuine; the elder's hands hardly shook underneath the weight of the box and she held up her smile. Kazuharu and the rest of the kids looked up at Meimi and raised an eyebrow. Without any further ado, everyone made a positive pace down the street towards the Shinjuku Rail Station. They formed a straight line with Kazuharu in the lead and Meimi in the back. Their destination was Tokyo Metropolitan Hiroo Hospital.

* * *

In Japan, it was a custom for people to send gifts to family and friends and to wish them a quick recovery.

A twenty-four year old woman named Yuuko Hidaka, the teacher of Kazuharu, Sumi, and thirty other children, had been in a car accident. She was appointed to Hiroo Hospital since yesterday afternoon and the only one who visited her was Meimi, whose Yuuko's mother. After Kazuharu left Akido class, the kids had promised together to meet their teacher. The bond between the teacher and her students leapt further ahead than any custom. However, there were only two wrapped gifts: the big red one Meimi carried, and Kazuharu's, which was covered in a white silk cloth decorated in a red and black checkered design.

But that was beside the point. The amount of gifts did not measure the amount of love Yuuko's students had for her. While Kazuharu's gift was just a tiny portion of how much he wanted to offer, the giant red gift was produced from the effort of all thirty-two children combined. The person at the visitor's counter couldn't help but gawk at it when Meimi, who was signing in the visitor application, entered the hospital with it.

* * *

**Current Date:**  April 4, 2010 (2010年4月4日)

**Patient Name (Kanji):**  火高 悠子

**Kana:**  ひだか ゆうこ (Hidaka Yuuko)

**Height:**  166cm (5'4")  
 **Weight:**  58kg (128 lbs)  
 **Bloodtype:**  O

**Birthdate:**  June 9, 1985 (1985年6月9日)

Address, telephone number, and other additional information was included.

* * *

Up in Room 201, the kids were ecstatic.

"Teacher!" A few cried out, and were quickly hushed by the doctor inside checking Yuuko's pulse. She was the only patient at the moment and the kids took turns to meet her. Since there were six kids, they have decided that only two could go into the room with Meimi. The first ones up to Yuuko was Kazuharu and Sumi. The girl began by joking about Yuuko's white patient gown, following by asking an interesting question. She bent down to her teacher's ear.

"Teacher, no disrespect," the pepped girl whispered, "but is your mother normal or just really strong? She picked up and carried that red box all the way up to the rail station. There was no problem."

"I guess she is strong," Yuuko said with a smile. "She wants to keep up with me?"

"I heard that..." said Meimi, who was right behind Sumi. She had just put the red gift down in front of her daughter's brown tote bag.

Sumi turned around quickly. "Y-you did?!"

Yuuko's smile hardly faded, as expected, youthful and generous charm overflowed from her. She was a beautiful woman with long brown hair; a gentle (and single) teacher who receives the children's trust and love through her practiced patience. Furthermore, they respected her ambition to see through their achievements, from Kazuharu's Akido drills to Sumi's determination to get through her math tutoring. To the kids, she was almost like a mother or an elder sister.

"I don't think I'll be here long, kids," she said warmly.

"Really?!" asked the kids, both Kazuharu and Sumi inside the patient room, and the remaining four outside waiting in the hallway.

"Yes," Yuuko maintained her smile, as if assuring her words, "I am feeling much better now. Maybe I'll be back in school by tomorrow?"

"Yes, it is really amazing." said the doctor after she finished writing down a report on her clipboard, "She is recovering really fast, and she's just been here for a day."

"Whooaaa teacher! You're really lucky," said Kazuharu. His eyes seem to light up and deep inside he thanked the power of faith. He never had a single negative thought that something bad would happen to Yuuko, and the results became reality.

After meeting all the kids, Yuuko had finally opened the big red present. Items inside ranged from red and blue pinwheels to boxes with cards and candies. There was even a small picture album and a newspaper. The young teacher couldn't help but laugh.

"It's from me teacher!" Sticking his head into the room door and giving Yuuko thumbs up was Jyou Matsumoto (松本 ジョウ), a young kid with glasses. Yuuko looked over to him, "I figured. Thank you for giving me today's  _Tokyo Shimbun_ , Jyou. I thought I was going to miss it."

"No way! Tokyo Shimbun,  _banzai_!" Jyou said, grinning widely. His spiritedness was probably on par with Sumi's. Yuuko opened up the newspaper and one article quickly caught her attention. At this time, sparky Jyou and another kid went into the room to take their visiting turn.

* * *

**Gangster robs bank, kills 1, found injured**

( _Crime_  - 4 April, 2010)

TOKYO, Japan. A man was arrested for robbing a bank in western Shibuya and killing 1 during the incident, police said. On April 3rd at 13:28, Shinobu Katayama (型山 偲), 24, robbed a bank, stabbed one woman and fled from authorities. The woman died at the hospital from exsanguination. Police arrested Shinobu after finding him a couple hours later in an abandoned building, lying on the ground near unconsciousness. By unknown means he suffered a broken jaw, a concussion over his face and bruises over his arms. Police has not found a suspect and will question Shinobu once he recovers enough.

* * *

Yuuko narrowed her eyes as expected, "Awful," she said under her breath.

"What is it, teacher?" asked the shallow voice of Hachiro Tominaga (富永 八郎), realizing her change in facial expression.

"It's about the bank robbing in Shibuya yesterday. Also, how have you been doing Hachiro?"

"Oh, um, fine."

During the talk, a glint easily appealed to Jyou. He saw something, from the corner of his eye, jutting out of Yuuko's tote bag. While she doesn't notice, Jyou crouched next to the bag to inspect it. Then he picked it up with both hands, "Wow," he whispered, looking at a round item with awe. It was a large coin or medallion made of bronze with an inch thick rim. It had to approximately be six inches in diameter and took up both of his hands. On the obverse of the coin, a large bird design, presumably a roc or phoenix due to its giant wings and long tail feathers, was carved into the bronze. "Teacher pretty! Where did you get this?"

"Matsumoto!" Suddenly, a surprised shriek exhibited from Yuuko. She looked like she nearly jumped out of her skin. Meimi had the biggest frown stretching down her face. Jyou, just as jumpy from seeing the Hidaka pair's reactions, shoved the coin back into the bag. His teacher calmed with a sigh, then smiled, "Jyou, you shouldn't do that." Her voice was relaxed again.

Jyou got up and bowed apologetically, "Forgive me teacher! I am really sorry. It was just cool. What is it?"

"It's a medallion from Egypt," said Yuuko. "Mother brought it home as a souvenir. Like you said, it is cool. I thought so too when I saw it. My mother must've known that I would like it and brought it home."

"Really?!" Excited, Jyou went to the bag and grabbed the coin again. Hachiro waved his hands, hinting that his classmate should put it back. Meimi and Yuuko laughed. Then Meimi said, "Kids, you can't stay here too long. Let Kaede and Ume have a chance to speak with the teacher quickly. I need to talk to her alone."

Yuuko's last visitors were Kaede Sanya (溝口 梅) and Ume Mizukuchi (三谷 楓), two girls, who hugged their teacher and spoke with her for only a few minutes. Her final words to the children before they departed to the hospital's base floor were, "I appreciate all of you for visiting and giving me gifts. I will make a certain speedy recovery for sure." When they all left, Meimi sighed and lowered to sit on her daughter's bed with the tote bag on her lap. Of course, Jyou took the medal back. The elder zipped the bag closed, "You  _really_  need to be careful with car accidents and curious kids finding things precious to you."

"Yeah I know."

"You're still a nitwit."

Yuuko laughed. "I am sorry?"

"An admirable nitwit."

Contrary to the words they exchanged, the two were most friendly together. Shortly after the banter, young Hamada returned to the room in a fast walk.

"Kazuharu?" Yuuko raised an eyebrow then asked, "Can't you wait for Mrs. Meimi to come down?"

"I am sorry teacher," he replied, "but turn on the TV! Something weird is going on!"

Meimi looked up, "The TV?" The said apparatus was fixed in the corner of the ceiling. Each patient room had two televisions; a single patient bed contained speakers and a remote control to change the channel and volume. Using the remote, Yuuko turned on the TV. Covering the screen was static. It would go on for several seconds while voices undulated with the noise, "Is...thing...working?"

"Yes...emp...ng...ten sec...ten seconds."

"Good! Le...begin."

A silhouette flickered through the dotted picture.

"Teacher, I wanted to come back and talk to you about something, but this came up. The others are listening to it on Kaede's portable radio while waiting. It's all over the place!" said Kazuharu. "All the schedules have been taken over. Must be real serious!"

After ten seconds, a voice finally cleared. It was the voice of a man: "To the over six billion people on Earth - I dub my upcoming words the 'Imperial Address', in which I offer to you. This 'address' will be delivered four more times each hour, inevitably. Between those times you may use your broadcasting systems to express your opinions over my message, or prepare your militaries."

"Huh, what is that? That can't be real, right teacher?" Kazuharu looked up at Yuuko, "Teacher?!" he called again, this time, worry was inside his voice.

"Lying ahead for you and me is a potent future, superimposed by an ambition that me and my ancestors have long for centuries."

"Teacher?!"

Yuuko, staring up at the TV, was frozen in breathless shock.

"And that is – Global Domination."

* * *

"Damn it! Is he coming here?!"

"It sure looks like. This is bad, really bad!"

"Ugh, this is it...it's war time."

"What do we do?!"

"We got to finish...it's our only chance. Homura, call Master Nechimoku. Then try to send a message to the other two."

"Yes sir!"

"Hurry! The humans don't stand a chance."


	3. Imperial Address

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The five-minute speech of Emperor Yang, relaying his desire to save his home planet Shenbu by invading Earth.

_Raptorial eyes from space are affixed on Earth. Able to sense it as if she and the unknown man were close by, whether they were separated by unseen dimensions, eras, or atmospheres, Yuuko Hidaka becomes frightened._

_16:00 to 20:00, a man advocates the Imperial Address._

* * *

To the over six billion people on the planet Earth - my upcoming words that I am about to offer to you is dubbed the 'Imperial Address'. To see that you all give heed, my 'address' will be delivered four more times each hour. Between those times you may use your broadcasting systems to express opinions over my message, or to prepare your militaries. Marvelous Earth let me explain to you who I am and why I am here. I am Emperor Yang (暘 or ヤン), the 42nd leader of the Deva Dynasty, which rules the empire of the Planet Shenbu. I have appeared before you to share a vision.

Lying ahead of you and me is a potent future, superimposed by an ambition that my ancestors have long for many centuries. Before I have decided to choose you to take part in this ambition, I looked into and became fascinated by your history and various civilizations. Out of the entire Galaxy, I feel that there are only five planets that stand at the highest of success in life evolution: Three being Earth, my native planet of Shenbu, and its neighboring planet Shirei.

My Shenbu was once a lustrous place, a planet with only a single continent divided into counties where various nomadic and semi-nomadic tribes live. Glowing millet fields and rainforests span across the continent for many miles, slanting into grasslands or alluvium plains, or ascending into a long range of impregnable mountains. From west to east, long green rivers literally snake across those plains and mountains; in the south, there is the planet's only desert accompanied by tall red plateaus; and in the further north, a cold and white arctic region. It was my ancestors who reigned supreme against others tribes and were chosen to be Shenbu's leading figures. They brought upon the planet's genius industrialization and monarchy system, and Shenbu enjoyed a long prosperity for generations…until now.

Thirty years ago, the beauty of Shenbu began to deteriorate.

It started when the alliance between the planet Shenbu and the planet Shirei had been broken, and the war was triggered by my father the former emperor. Prior to this, Shenbu was invaded by another planet; my grandfather, the 40th emperor who resigned to a legal department position, was killed during the conflict. The attacks and the industrial stress required to counter the invaders further created a social crisis. My father, a man of decisive action, would do anything to bring peace and a prosperous nation. He highly focused on a militaristic state and even inducted Shenbu's tribes into slavery to preserve the land. Furthermore, insurrectionists of Shirei, people who are discontent with their own tribes and the planet's current four kingdom government, proposed to my father that they should battle Shirei to use its resources and create a competent one-man state like on Shenbu. At first, he found it ludicrous to fight the planet that he considered "family". Both planets were so close together in location, and in military power, that it's been said that the people were like siblings. It has also been said that they might have been one planet during their beginning days.

But don't siblings naturally fight? It was not the first time the planets have battled one another; past conflicts, difficult to trace, have apparently happened between Shenbu and Shirei.

And here's another question – doesn't history repeat itself?

A war was created; and during my reign, the war still continues and I fervently work on strengthening my empire and making Shenbu back to the way it was. However, the previous battle ended with a pyrrhic victory. Even though I have most of Shirei's people under labor and two out of four of their leaders successfully disposed of, I have underestimated their military. More than half of my fleet was destroyed and in no condition for a wide-scale invasion. I was forced to relocate and continue to search of new places for resources. Shenbu needs to be desperately restored to its original state and dear Earth, you are chosen as the buttress to my planet's resurrection.

My ambition...

My ambition is Global Domination.

Everyone, I have been the ruler of the Deva since the start of the war and I am still young. I do not like half-hearted or weak decisions and can go against naive common sense. This Lord and Emperor does not dream. This Lord and Emperor Yang drives to be a pivotal figure and in this time of chaos, it is a good time. Shenbu is a land of incessant workers and strong survivors. I am moved by the just instinct of maintaining my station as a strong, influential leader, the person who leads his people out of a crisis and makes the Deva Dynasty the most triumphant power in the Galaxy. Sensitive to the image of heroism and feats, we all have this sacred emotion to be in front, or to see it unfold in front of our eyes. And no man on Earth is excluded from this. The countries of Ancient Greece, United States of America, Russia, China, Egypt, Israel, United Kingdom, Germany...an ostensible ideology such as Global Domination can be a true reality and even a necessity.

But, it cannot be achieved without a challenge. And since this is a repeat of time, according to your histories, I offer you a chance to fight.

The three superpowers of China, Russia and United States are in my sights, but my interest has also been roused by the island of Japan. I heard that the core of a powerful association made to fend off beyond normal threats such as those from outer space is located there. Also, Earth, you are just too much of an enemy yourself. And while monitoring you for two months, I became convinced that Earth…the human race of Earth, is not of my liking. Because of how you have been progressing internationally, you seem to be undergoing political…unsettlements yourself. This is what happens to a planet filled with over twenty five leaders popular worldwide. Over twenty five arrogant, superstitious, greedy, paranoid, contradictory, cheating leaders…this cannot do. By eliminating the biggest potential threats to us, we conquer over your super powers and cease all violence on your planet.

I am quite weary of war. It has taken the lives of many including my father, grandfather, and empress, caused us to work beyond what is necessary and live in tension, and convinced me that every being here has this concentration on being infallible to threat or to be the hinge of conflict. I may see more wars in the future, but I will end the one I am currently in. I am weary of war, but ironically, love to face a challenge when it is exposed to me.

I bet you're prone to make a treaty with me, to side with me out of sympathy and to defend your planet, but I doubt you will accept. Your type of modernity does not suffice with my way of ruling. If I ally with you, " _your_ " Earth will be in danger. My presence will bring forth the worse of evils from across the galaxy. I know of civilizations that do galactic piracy for a living. Numbers will not triumph against them and I do not think you stand a chance according to my data.

But I will give you  _a chance_  to prove me wrong, thus, my challenge.

Precious Earth, I am heading towards your direction as we speak. And I will repeat, you will hear my Address each hour four more times. After that, I will dispatch my men to face against you. Once my victory is gained, I will use Earth's resources to bring forth the new Shenbu and retaliate against my foes.

This Imperial Address asserts the will of my people, and declares the threshold to a new age of a world consolidation!


	4. Earth's Upcoming Challenge? The Eight Advocates of Shenbu

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yang's Shintennou and senior officers are introduced; the world are now aware of their goal. They form their plan on where to strike and land on Earth, and how to interfere with any defense against their invasion. Their primarily focus on Japan, China, and the United States as landing spots for the Generals and Armada. Back at Tokyo Hiroo Hospital, Meimi and Yuuko make plans on leaving the hospital.

_The Deva Dynasty is coming to Earth; and with them, an unpleasant wish of worldwide totalitarianism!_

_Will Earth stand a chance against Emperor Yang?_

 

Human race has sat through five long minutes listening to a man preach about the beautiful past of his home planet, and what seemed to be the inevitable future of Earth. Shortly after the broadcast went off, and normal programming on TV and video were restored, everybody turned to the news to further understand the situation. People across the globe were already up in arms about it, talking about the arrogance of the man known as Emperor Yang. Loudly, he proclaimed: "I will dominate Earth." Some say that this person is living in the past, a hypocrite who says he wants to cease war but is about to create it. Others say that it was some kind of propaganda or that it was too ridiculous to be true. Yang had expected this.

Inside a spacious room, the Emperor sat behind a panel covered with switches and knobbed controls, tuning in on Earth's channels to watch and listen in on some of the reactions. In front of him was a large screen transmitting the global news.

"'My goal is world domination' says a man who goes by the name of Emperor Yang of a far away planet."

"What the hell is this guy talking about?"

"As we had heard, a man by the name of Yang, allegedly to be an emperor from space, plans world domination."

"Maybe it is possible."

"This is a blasphemous fake, a phony! The days of these emperors are over and there is no country in existence with a fully functioning monarch with an emperor as head of state. Not even in Japan. So who does this guy think he is?"

"I actually find this probable. Records state that extraterrestrial life has been discovered in the past. But at this time, space experts have yet to prove any vessels approaching Earth. We'll keep everyone updated on the situation."

"Has been discovered? Is there any proof that can attest to this?"

Yang had one elbow on an armrest as he watched casually. His head was leaned over, propped up by his hand. "My my," the emperor uttered with a smile. He was humored, especially at the skeptical remarks.

"The human race are interesting aren't they My Lord Emperor," said a voice from behind Yang, along with the sound of footsteps, "they more they denounce you, the more surprised they'll be when we arrive."

"My Lord Emperor," said another voice, "I think this will turn out well. Your plan is to test Earth's combat capability right?"

Both sounded familiar. Yang spun his chair around to acknowledge two men in sap green uniforms. "Technician Chief Gon Juuhei and Operations Officer Hao Lin," the emperor said. "Two of my most trusted people during my campaign. Give me your reports."

"Flagship _Jushan_  will arrive on Earth in approximately five hours," Gon began while looking down at his clipboard, "Unit  _Gavajar_  should be ready for deployment in about an hour. Unit  _Kamegare_  sustained too much damage in the last sortie. The power plant seems to be malfunctioning, and it also needs a supply refill; it won't be available for the Earth invasion.  _Yamikyo MKII_  will have to be deployed instead."

Yang lifted an eyebrow in concern, "Something is wrong with Kamegare's Soul Gem?" He asked.

"Well my Lord, it is a mineral we excavated in Shirei and is said to be very special. The rock hasn't been fully studied, but it is my guess that it may be counteracting to the North General's feelings. Aside from that, the Daruva, Naga and Yasha units are almost ready. The South General requested to only bring two of his Kubanda unit so they're ready."

Yang hummed, "and you Officer Lin?"

"My Lord, analysis says that our technology is beyond Earth's. We got info on Earth's largest active armies by members, status of the arms industry, and the anti-super threat organization of Japan."

"Anti-super threat? Go on."

"It's called the Hoshizawa Association. Their headquarters is in Tokyo, Japan but they have a sub-branch in the United States as well."

"Such a large world," said Yang, rubbing his finger around a knob in circles, "Our primary focus may just be United States, China and Japan. A demonstration is at hand. There will be a meeting in two hours in preparation for the mission. Until then, return to your duties."

"Yes my Lord!"

Back at Tokyo Metropolitan Hiroo Hospital, Kazuhara Hamada awaited downstairs after Mrs. Meimi told him that she and Yuuko were going to have a quick conversation. In her room, Yuuko revealed the frustration that was bottled up inside. She had turned off the TV as soon as the broadcast went off. "I can't believe it," she mumbled, tightly holding her bed sheet between her fingers, "He's coming here?!"

"I know," said Meimi, "this is bad." Suddenly, something vibrates inside of Meimi's pants pocket. She dipped her hand into the pocket and took out a white cell phone, answering it, "Hello?"

"Hello. Is this the phone number of Meimi Hidaka?"

"Yes it is. Who is it?" There is a small pause, and then the old woman's eyes broaden, "What?! "Homu—?!" Meimi quickly lowered her voice to a whisper, "Uh, Homura?" Yuuko looked over to her mother with a gaping reaction.

"Yes, we saw the broadcast," Meimi continued, "So, is it true?"

"Yes Mas-I mean, yes ma'am," said Homura, "I'll tell you more about it once we see each other. I have a feeling that you're in a public area, so it's best to talk about it when we're together if you know what I mean. Um, how is…your daughter?" he asked dryly.

"That's one problem. She's in the hospital."

"WHAT?!" Meimi's face cringed at Homura's shriek of concern.

"Give it to me," Yuuko outstretched her hand for the cell phone, which was given to her quickly. She brought it up to her ear, "Homura?"

Hearing Yuuko, Homura's voice became mellow. "Ooooooh, I am so glad to hear from you after a long absence."

"Homura, I'm in the hospital and I don't think I'll be released until tomorrow."

"Miss Hidaka, we would like for your mother to come meet us and watch over our progress. If you want to know, we're working on final adjustments on a few projects."

"I see. Please continue your good work and update me on it all later. I hope to see you soon."

"Please take care." Homura hung up.

Yuuko closed the phone and looked over to her mother, "They want you to keep watch on maintenance and think up a plan."

Meimi nodded, "Ah ha, I agree," The old woman went over to Yuuko's  _tote_  bag and took out the bronze medallion from before. She placed it into her pocket, "But first, the kids. They are still waiting for me. I'll try to hurry."

Things were too classified to talk about in the open. After the children are taken home, Meimi will rendezvous with Homura. Yuuko would wait, with steadfast patience, at the hospital.

One hour after the second broadcast, Emperor Yang gathered his most trusted associates during this campaign in a meeting. It was three hours before the Deva Dynasty's flagship reached Earth and it was time to reflect on the preparations. Eight people, including the Emperor, sat around an electronic refectory table in a large lit room. They were the following: R&D Director Hsienlung Yan (嚴晄茏), Chief Technician Gon Juuhei (十兵権), Operations Officer Hao Lin (林浩), East General Indra (インドラ), North General Yami (ヤミor 闇), West General Aditi (アヂテイ) and South General Aryaman (アリヤマン). Yang's bodyguard, a cloaked and masked man named Tsouyang (走陽), stood by his right.

"This is a necessity to bridge our home planet from a deteriorating form to a period of revival." The Emperor began, looking at his subordinates' faces one by one "my esteemed specialists in military operations and technology, and my four Divine Generals, you are all here to guide me towards my goal. Officer Lin and Chief Juuhei, you can begin by explaining the mission and coordination plans." Hao and Gon could pass as ordinary Earthling soldiers with their sap green waist-length field jackets and trousers. They also looked young and wet behind the ears in comparison to the others. The only thing that showed their significance to the Dynasty, and why they were invited, was the black and gold rank insignias fastened to their shoulders.

"Thank you my Lord Emperor," The first was Hao Lin, a soft-spoken and stoic man with thin eyes and a bald head. As the Head of Operations, he was selected to be in charge of the Dynasty's war effort. He is a close friend of Gon Juuhei, and both love how war unfolded from beginning to end. Both were determined about this invasion. Clearing his throat, Hao stood up from his chair and moved his fingers across a few buttons at the edge of the table, turning on a holographic image of the Earth. It appeared at the center of the table.

"The primary objective is defeating Earth's best militaries. This will prohibit them from fighting back or joining forces. After that, we can overtake the planet. I had explained before that our technology is beyond Earth's forces. The TOP 5 countries with the largest active personnel are China, North Korea, United States of America, Russia, and India, counting in the millions. TOP 5 countries with the most money spent in arms are the United States, Japan, China, France, and United Kingdom. China has trade deals with the countries of Germany, France, Ukraine and Russia; they are close together in location it seems."

"Also, you had explained to me before about an organization. What was it?" asked Yang.

"Oh, you must mean the Hoshizawa Association my Lord. Their main headquarters are in Japan and their tasks seem to specifically revolve around handling incredible threats."

"Oh, I heard about them today," said General Aryaman, a bald man of about forty human years old, wearing a brown heavy robe and bead necklace, "they said they will fight us because that is why they were formed."

"Yes, much of Japan's budget is spent on their advanced projects it seems. They must have valuable technology." said Lin, "My Lord Emperor, this can get serious if we're not careful, so it was suggested that we only use the Four Generals to fight as a first strike."

"Just the Generals?" said Yang.

"They are good when it comes to a show of force. Each can go with one battleship for fire support if necessary, and one carrier ship for supplies and to pick up the Generals."

Aditi, a teen-like female general with long brown hair and a small silver circlet around her forehead, gave out a warm smile. Her eyes have been closed throughout the talk.

Officer Lin continued, "Juuhei said that since our last battle with Shirei, our fleet is down to only seventeen battleships, twenty-one destroyers, and five carriers. We can preserve our forces and get a taste of what Earth can do. Also, the Generals are quite strong as it is. They can decide where they want to attack. The Hoshizawa Headquarters, military bases, anything supporting or capable of armed intervention should be primary."

Indra, who looks to be the most robust and battle-ready General out of the four with his black and red  _lamellar_  armor, huffed, "Because of their boasting, I will see to it that the Hoshizawa falls before me."

Yang nodded his head, and turned to Chief Technician Juuhei. While Lin planed how to mobilize the war materials, it was Gon Juuhei who was responsible for keeping them in operation. "The numbers are indeed facts. But if we're going to send out just the Generals then all is left is making sure the other units are ready to be deployed just in case. For General Indra and General Yami, the STN pair is first priority. I'm sorry General Yami, but you'll have to use the  _Yamikyo MKII_."

A woman with scary yellow eyes and black hair braided in a cue style bared her fanged teeth at the Technician Chief. She had an owl, or nocturnal, feeling to her, "I am not at my full potential with such a standard mech. That thing is a big lug of metal!"

"I'm sorry General, but it should be effective with its high firepower and hard alloy armor and claws. Shells under four-thousand millimeters shouldn't do anything to it. Also, it should be able handle a sufficient amount of explosives. The hyper battery installed in the Yamikyo should make it last long enough. It is slow, but should pass as a unique super mech. I ask for your forgiveness and tolerance."

Yami sighed, and then asked, "Why is Kamegare not working?"

"It is something with the Shirei rock we're using as an energy source. I don't understand it myself. Even as the Chief, it is still a mystery. It is working perfectly fine in the Gavajar. When Kamegare is back in working order, we will remind you."

"My Lord Emperor, although is it just the Generals who are going down to Earth, I would still like for two of my Kubanda to come with me." said Aryaman.

"I don't see why not. Do as you please," Yang then turned to a man wearing glasses and a long white lab coat, "Earth's supplies, collecting it and inventing ways on how to use them, will be in your charge Director Yan."

"Thank you my Lord Emperor," the next one to speak was Hsienlung Yan, an expert in the methods of Research and Development. He was highly looked up to in general, an intelligent man and more than delighted to be on the mission. His plans on how to use Earth were a crucial factor to Shenbu's survival. "At first I feared the invasion would weaken Earth's militaries up to a point where their materials would prove unusable, but maybe some can be. If possible my Lord, I would like the bases to be intact."

Yami gave the foreign-obsessed Yan an aggravated look, "Director! We should break what the humans can't fix. If we keep the bases intact, they may persist against us."

"I understand your concerns General Yami," he said, looking at the woman General, "but the plan here is to conquer the Earth men and make them surrender. To win means taking their valuable property. According to research, metallurgy is widely used on modern Earth and has evolved a great deal over the years. This includes in weaponry. They also use a variety of fuels, many created by mixing chemicals, which wastes a bit faster compared to ours. The Earth men are not as inferior as I thought." He smiled, "Seeing new things urge me to conceptualize. Furthermore, this may be a good time to complete my experiment to facilitate transfers."

Yang raised an eyebrow, "You don't mean that radical idea you had for decades?"

"Mm-hmm. I will try it on the Earth men."

"Where are the Generals headed?" said Aryaman, "Lin needs to provide us locations on where to hit."

General Indra turned to Lin, "where did you say that the Hoshizawa place was located again?"

"Oh sir, the main headquarters would be in Japan, in Tokyo, Japan. Sub-branch is in California, United States, in a city called San Bernardino. I believe there is a military base around there as well General, would you like to check it out?"

Before Indra could give his answer, there is a loud sound from Yami slamming her hand on the table, "I'm going to fight Hoshizawa! Even with that Yamikyo mech!"

Yang smiled, "There is still plenty of time to decide, but Officer Lin and Chief Juuhei will have to leave soon to inform the other forces of the plan and to finish checking the mechs."


	5. War Resumes! Saviors' Counteroffensive Plan

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Meimi Hidaka, whose real name is Toriko Nechimoku, reunites with crew members of a military space vessel and discuss the approaching Deva Dynasty. Concerned about the Imperial military's new units, Toriko suggests deploying the SUJ units; also, she has tension with Prince Toramaru, who is quite eager to fight.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SUJ is a classification, meaning shirei ue jūjin (四霊上獣神). It stands for "Shirei Superior Beast God".

_As the invasion approaches closer, this group believes that they are the only hope for Earth._

_Just what are the SUJ series that will resist against Yang?_

 

**War Resumes! Saviors' Counteroffensive Plan**

Compared to the city, the buzzing of machinery was quieter and the smell of gasoline was hardly present. Meimi Hidaka paced through the narrow bright lit hallway towards a young man wearing eyeglasses and a red battledress. When they both were within a few feet from each other, the man genuflected to the steel ground and lowered his head in greeting.

"Welcome back, Master." Homura (炎) said, "It has been a long while. Sorry that we had to meet at such a terrible time."

"I know." The elder's crinkled hand appeared from behind her boatcloak and touched Homura's head of upright orange hair. She gave him a few rubs, "Now, let's hurry. We have to stop the Emperor from ruling Earth."

The two seemed to have been long time associates, but their sweet reunion was cut short by the urgent situation that prompted the meet. The third broadcast had just went by. And Meimi, Homura, and others had planned their own emergency meeting on how to counter Emperor Yang.

* * *

Hidaka and Homura quickly pass through an automatic door and entered a wide room with a huge display screen built into the wall. A crowd of people had waited inside. Many of them wore battledress uniforms, resembling the single-breasted short blouses or tunics, pair of straight trousers, and high leather boots, seen in Earth's Union or Imperial armies. A variety of colors could be seen within the uniforms.

The group motioned their heads over to the two as they entered. "Master Nechimoku!" A high voice cried out. One blonde-haired girl in a red uniform, with the brightest beam over his face, rushed up to Meimi and embraced her.

"Enna, I hope you're doing well." The elder said as she brought a hand up to the girl's head. Enna (焔奈) nodded and let out a soft hum, feeling Meimi's hand slowly caress down her head.

"Cut the greetings!" barked the loud voice of man from within the crowd. Some people already moved out the way as one guy stormed through and towards Meimi. The elder delivered a challenging glare over to him. No other looked like him.

"We must attack." The guy lifted a hand to show his fingers flexing with tension. "Now!" He looked like a handsome human in his mid-twenties with pale skin and long black hair. Three broad black stripes stretch across each cheek; slender and sharp blue eyes stared right back at the old woman. He wore iron  _lamellar_ armor, or metal plates vertically laced together, over his torso, while the rest of the body was covered by a white padded jacket and trousers. He also wore armor guards over his wrists and shins.

"You have been a gripping fellow lately." said Meimi.

The man flashed his sharp teeth at her. "Toriko Nechimoku! Why are you alone? The Deva Dynasty is on their way to Earth and you—"

"Enough!" A younger guy wearing a red flat cap and an open long coat over his battledress briskly ran in between the two. "Master! Prince!" He swerved his head to give the two a quick look, both arms extended out. "Please cooperate so we don't waste time. Master, I'm going to begin. Please, lend us your wisdom."

The elder nodded, walked past the black-haired brute, through the crowd, and towards the round table in front of the display screen. She sat down and laid one arm over the table. The fellow in the flat cap dashed behind a console table right beside her and began racing his fingers over an array of touch keys. Homura, Enna, and the rude warrior sat at the table as well. So did some others, while the rest remained standing.

Everyone except "armor guy" and "flat cap" looked at Meimi or Toriko even, with a silent and respectful focus. Toriko Nechimoku (熱木鳥子) truly gave off the aura of a smart and exalted elder. Underneath her boatcloak, she wore a dark red Mess Dress complete with a vest and long skirt. The vest is left open to reveal the elder's  _piqué_  orange shirt and green cummerbund over her skirt. Over her fingers at the hand atop the table were a couple of gem rings. Not only did she wear different clothing, but her physical appearance was different as well. The color of her long hair changed from auburn and gray to off-white, and her eyes were now fern green.

The wide screen flashed to life and displayed footage of data collected about the Deva Dynasty's military. Designs of tanks, battleships, and aerial units blinked across it, following what seemed to be a map of stars. There were no flickering spots on the map, therefore any activity. The flat cap man behind the console, or Fuuji (鳳司), cleared his throat.

"Everyone, we are gathered here to devise a plan against Yang; the man who has subjugated our planet, and now drives to do the same to the planet Earth. We haven't picked up any of his units on the radar so he must be still pretty far off by Earth's time. I have, however, thanks to the Intelligence field, can provide some info on the Deva Dynasty's machines."

"I am mostly concerned about the new units that have appeared in the last fight." said Homura.

"So am I," said Fuuji. "It's not much, but I got something on them too."

"The best plan is to deploy the SUJ units," said Toriko. Her eyes narrowed; she brought her index and middle finger up to her forehead, seemingly in a thinking posture, "Emperor Yang is going to challenge the Earth humans and their military. Even with his forces weakened, he will still prove to be dangerous; especially with those Four Generals. We just need to know where he will attack. He will either attack in one place where the military strength is accumulated the strongest, or in different locations simultaneously. The latter would be a real problem. I don't think Earth has machines capable of outer spatial combat, so they won't be able to attack before Yang enters the atmosphere."

Fuuji nodded his head.

"How are the SUJ units?" Toriko asked.

Fuuji switched to a four-panel map on the screen. The two upper panels showed the outline designs, miniaturized, of two anthropomorphic mecha. The mech in the upper left resembled a tiger and was labeled " **SUJ – TSJK1** " in bold. The one below it, resembling a bird, was labeled " **SUJ – HNJK2** ". Looking at the screen and the two empty panels, Toriko frowned.

"We are working on the final adjustments on Unit Two. Its phenomena gem is working nicely and I hope it will have enough aerial capability and armaments to fight. We finished Unit One first since we were being... _harassed_."

The arrogant man with the armor and striped cheeks grunted. Fuuji continued, "Still…no sign of Unit Four."

"Where is Igiyuki?" Toriko asked with concern in her voice.

"We haven't contacted him since we left Shirei, or vice versa. There is still nothing. I hope he didn't regret his brave choice."

"Even if we could reach him, there's no way for him to get to Earth in time for the invasion. So we may have to put our faith into the only two SUJ units that we have, and the rest of us. And maybe, maybe place our faith in even Earth itself."

The armor soldier looked over to the old one and raised his voice, "Why should we protect Earth? And where is the princess!"

Toriko's face softened, "Like I told Homura on the phone, the princess is in the hospital."

As expected, gasps filled the room. The elder continued, "She was in a car accident, but is healing well. We will need to get her out of the hospital before Yang arrives. As for why we should protect it?" She paused, to change her manner. Her face became grim, "because that Yang is being a tyrannical fiend. Desperate, but tyrannical." Slowly, she bent her fingers, her long beige nails scrapping across the table as anger slowly boiled inside of her. "I wouldn't be surprised if karma, incited by the Deva Dynasty, was the cause of Planet Shenbu deteriorating. It always pains me to bring to say this, but we lost."

There are many groans resounding from the crowd. Fuuji, Homura, and Enna lowered their heads, while the armor man grinded his fangs together. He turned his head away.

"We lost against our neighbors. We lost the war. Protecting the SUJ units from capture and destruction, and saving the heirs and as much military personnel as possible to maintain the units and the  _Taiyoko_ ship, was high priority. Fleeing Shirei, we hold on to the hope that we would one day return. Earth has been our home for a little while."

There was a silence.

Toriko continued, bringing her other hand over the table to clutch the other, "And I, no, even the princess, have grown an attachment to it. To protect the Earth men, and to defeat Yang right here and now, means that we have achieved our freedom. And, retribution for leaving."

"Tch, 'retribution'..." The soldier said softly, at first. Then, he jumped up from his chair so fast that it tumbled back. The slamming sound of the chair against the floor rendered everyone silent. "Retribution, old woman?" He shouted.

"Toramaru!" The elder called, but the striped-faced man had his back against everyone. He passed through the sliding doors and left the room.  _The war has even broken the Shirei Alliance_ , Toriko thought. She turned to Fuuji and got up from her own chair, "Fuuji, please continue the briefing."

"But—"

"I gave you my suggestions. Tell everyone what you know. Either way, the sortie won't be easy." She then looked over to the rest, "At this moment, this is the only counteroffensive that we can think of. We cannot do a frontal attack. When everything is finished, return to your positions. I'll return shortly. I also need to call the princess."

"Yes Master!"

Toriko nodded her head, and then moved forward to the exit. Homura had this uneasy expression on his face. The escapees of Shirei only had a single combat-slash-vehicle carrier craft and two mecha, plus fewer than fifty combat units that could add a little power to their counter force. Troubled by the odds of winning, he had to ask, "Master? Can we really defeat him?"

Hearing his voice, the elder stopped and looked over her shoulder. "It is a matter of faith, my boy." She said and then left.

* * *

"Toramaru?"

" _STOP_ calling me that!"

Toriko sighed, "Where are you going? I will not accept this bullheadedness of yours. Not in the position that we are in now."

"High-minded as always Nechimoku. Get out of my way this instant! I don't want you to stop me now that Yang has appeared."

"Why are you so impudent? Listen!"

In a hallway, the elderly woman stood in between the soldier Toramaru and another automatic door. And needless to say, he was getting very irritated. His face was creased with fury, his hands were balled into fists. "I said get out of my way you old—"

_SMACK! !_

Before another word, a hand flew across his face and the pale-skinned man fell back onto his rear. His hand pushed against his cheek, looking up at Toriko, a loud growl emitting from him, "H…how  _dare_  you?"

"That's my line," said Toriko, rubbing her hand. The elder looked down at the man with fierce green eyes. Along with her frown and slanted eyebrows, she looked very serious, "Stop being rash Yuutsukasa! You are not authorized to deploy your unit on your own, not until the Shirei kingdoms are liberated. It is not wise for you to face Yang alone and unprepared, despite how strong you are."

"You're going to tell a  _King_  what not to do?"

"You're not a king  _yet_!" Toriko stomped the steel flooring with all her might, causing the soldier to flinch. "So, how about a little respect? How many times am I going to go through this with you?"

Toramaru became silent, not even making a move to get up. Sighing, the anger lessened and Toriko's face relaxed.

"Do you hate the princess and me?" she asked.

"I hate all of this!" The soldier declared, now getting up. He looked down at the elder, being way taller than her, further stating, "We chose ourselves and some pieces of metal over our brothers and sisters!" He looked over to a nearby wall, and threw his fist at it. A loud, steel-denting crashing sound boomed through Toriko's ears.

She shook her head, "A prideful man like you were never the type to flee. I know you are frustrated." Toriko said.

"I also hate my father! And that damned regent who became a coward." The young man's voice began to tighten. The flesh on his face squeezed in more to the point that he had to close his eyes.

"We did not expect the last fight to turn out the way it did. And we had to nurse you back to health, remember? You, and many others, were in no condition to fight back then. We bought ourselves time to escape and damaged a good deal of Yang's military. The Shenbu people have already been suffering due to lack of economic resources. They may have wasted a good deal of it on those new machines. That is why they are coming to Earth."

"But that does not matter if they are in charge of the  _Kamiyon_  with its military installation there!" said Toramaru.

"Earth is a long way from Shirei. If they were to retreat and recover, there will be long intervals in between attacks. There are no other communal satellites close-by or allied to Shenbu; that's the trouble with space travel and war. I think Yang is coming to Earth with a predominant certainty to win. Also, Toramaru, do not forget, no matter what, you are an heir. This is your chance to redeem yourself."

The soldier turned to the wall, putting his other hand flatly onto it. He calmed in temper and voice, "I want to make things right. When I return, when everybody is reunited, and when the Deva Dynasty pays for their crimes, everyone will see me as the truth. I will not die until that day arrives." Toramaru looked over his shoulder, "I have been walking a new path. Therefore, stop calling me  _that_ name."

Toriko held in her breath.

"Toramaru was no one but a cub who couldn't become a King. He is now a fully grown man who has a huge trial ahead of him. I now go by the earned name of Torahiko Yuutsukasa (勇士 児彦)," He looked back at the wall. "The next King of the Byakko."

After a few seconds of silence, the soldier felt a hand slide onto his soldier. He kept still.

Hand on his shoulder, Toriko began to explain, "Even though things didn't work out the way they should to put it vaguely, you swore an oath towards your people and lineage. That is why we trust you with Unit One." She would then offer him one final suggestion, a one-shot before leaving. She slowly pulled her hand away from Torahiko's shoulder.

"Odds are against us. If you want to truly be king, if you want to win, cooperate. Flow your anger into only resolve and in battle."


	6. Final Arrangements: Taiyoko Crew and Juushan Crew

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After tricking doctors to discharge Yuuko, Toriko and other crew members take her to the Taiyoko and they launch to the moon. The Deva Dynasty arrive at Earth's orbit.

_Almost time to open the curtains. T-minus three hours._

 

 

**PLAN OUTLINE: Juushan Crew / Deva Dynasty Military**

_Tse_  – class Battleship "Juzing" x4 (out of 17)

 _Mu_ – class Mecha Carrier "Weihang x 2 (out of 5)

STN 2 Gajavar

Yamikyo MKII (replacement for STN 3 Kamegare)

 _STN-BT_  Amasata

 _STN-BT_  Kala Lecture

Kubanda x2

**[ Targets ]**

\- Indra: The United States branch building for the anti-super threat force the  _Hoshizawa Association_  was located in  **San Bernardino, California**.

\- Yami: Hoshizawa's main organization base in  **Tokyo, Japan**.

\- Aryaman & Kubanda Unit: The 102nd Military Base in  **Armenia**  (close to  **Russia** ). Then, to the cream of the crop: The North Caucasus Military District.

\- Aditi: The Huairen Air Base, a People's Liberation Army Air Force base located in  **Shanxi, China** , one of the provinces within the Beijing Military Region.

Despite a weakened military, Emperor Yang and his associates have already determined victory over Earth. Intense faith was placed in the STN units, owned by Shenbu's Four Generals. Each General would be deployed with a battleship and their respective mecha; only Generals Yami and Indra would leave with a carrier ship to hold their mecha and war spoils. Generals Aryaman and Aditi, controllers of the "BT types", chose to ride in their battleships and wait until they closed in to their targets.

The Generals would boast great power against Earth. However, they were not expecting for the vengeful Shirei escapees to be down there, waiting for them.

 

* * *

 

**BATTLE PLAN: Taiyoko Crew / Resistance Tribe**

SUJ – TSJK1

SUJ – HNJK2

YGK17 & 17K

_Unclassified_

The  _Taiyoko,_  meaning "sun child" was a mighty  _Kazan_ -class multi-craft that can traverse air, sea, and space. It also has a commendable combat battery and is capable of carrying military vehicles. Over three-hundred people, including two of Planet Shirei's tribe heirs were aboard the ship. They fled their planet when it fell to Emperor Yang, escaping slavery and execution. Now, the Taiyoko served as a base and a new home. It has been settling down in Mount Kumotori, near Tokyo and Saitama Prefecture on Earth.

This one ship was going to face against an entire force, which was the remaining Shenbu military that they lost to in the first place.

After the briefing, the Taiyoko ascended to outer space and landed on Earth's moon. The crew had no idea where Yang would strike; therefore, two recon ships were sent into space to determine his location, and the distance between him and Earth. Toriko Nechimoku was still under the belief that Yang would separate his forces to attack different areas, so she suggested a precautionary tactic:

"Let's install the SUJ units into the two large entry rocket capsules."

Resembling sphere-cone shaped probes, the "entry rockets" were CPU-processed crafts of various sizes used to contain vehicles and people during atmospheric entry. They were located underneath the ship and the idea was to eject the SUJ units wherever Yang's military headed. This also kept the Taiyoko away from the frontlines.

There was another predicament with Yuuko Hidaka being in the hospital, who was unable to be released on the day the attack commenced. At least, not officially.

The Taiyoko had to return to Mount Kumotori. Toriko, resuming her disguise as Meimi Hidaka and bringing along a green coat fellow named Kuroiji (くろいじ), drove to the hospital. Kuroiji took on the alias "Yasuo Mizuhara" (水原康夫) and would be the person selected into getting Yuuko out early. Occasionally, the guys from the Taiyoko ship relayed information from their recon craft to Toriko's phone about Yang.

Still no sign of him; they had under two hours left.

Another hour had past, and Yuuko Hidaka found herself hiking Mount Kumotori. "I can't believe you guys," she said. "Hypnosis?!"

"There was no other way." said Meimi, who was walking ahead of her "daughter".

Kuroiji, walking beside Yuuko in his disguise as a plump black-haired man wearing a vest, shirt, and trousers, had a wide smile across his lips, "I have to admit it was funny." He said while looking at Yuuko, "You were like 'what?!', then the nurse came in, and I said that 'I told you an interesting joke'. Then I asked, 'so, she can leave tomorrow?', and she said 'yes Mr. Mizuhara'. Then I asked 'ma'am, could you go to the desk and kindly ask the doctors to discharge Yuuko Hidaka? She's feeling much better and her health has been improving."

Yuuko hummed and slanted her lips, giving Kuroiji a look expressing that she still couldn't believe that he went ahead with such trickery. Kuroiji continued, "Then, she said 'I'll go do that now'."

"And then you said, 'I'll go with you' right?" said Yuuko, "It's unbelievable what you can do with just one finger. Are you not a curate?"

"Again, there was no other choice." Meimi said before chuckling. The elder stopped in her tracks, slid her hand into her pants pocket, and took out the medallion that was once in Yuuko's  _tote_  bag. It was the item with the bird design on one of its sides. "You're going to need this," She said, handing it to Yuuko, who took it gently and stared at it in silence.

"Speed is mandatory. The last text message did say that Emperor Yang at this very moment is close to Earth's moon." Kuroiji said, "And it's taking us a while to get back to the ship. We have to return to space."

"Master?" Yuuko called to Meimi softly.

"Yes?"

"The time to attack is so close," Yuuko said, her grip on the medallion tightening. " _He_  is so close that it hurts. Now that we're out here, could you tell me what you have planned?"

Meimi resumed walking, "I will tell you while we head for the  _Taiyoko_. I will first start off by saying that we're not sure as to where he will attack. Understandable, so he's either going to focus on one area or more than one simultaneously. Our options are limited my dear."

"Go on." Yuuko narrowed her eyes, "I'll do anything, no matter the chances." Her voice was filled with certainty, "I can't break from this."

As soon as Yuuko, Toriko, and Kuroiji returned to the ship, they dropped their disguises. Yuuko was greeted with many cheers and other salutations of her return, crowded by various personnel. But there was little time to waste; as soon as everybody settled into a seat, the Taiyoko's solar turbines roared to life, engaged its stealth devices, and took off for space. It bedded on the moon and waited.

An hour later, the Taiyoko shook from an overwhelming force.

A wave of ships passed over Earth's moon. It was time.


	7. She Appears! Fire lights through the Darkness

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Undetected by the Shenbu armada, the Taiyoko crew led by Toriko plans to descend on the earth from the moon to chase the four generals. A squadron of YGK-17 Seki distracts the remaining armada while the Taiyoko enters Earth's atmosphere. In Japan, General Yami lands with the Yamikyo MK II seeking the Hoshizawa HQ.

_The first targets selected by the Deva Dynasty are the following: United States, Japan, Armenia, and China._

_Seeing her home plunged into danger, an unusual rage ignites inside of Yuuko._

 

Spacecraft in excess of twenty-five flew over the moon and the flagship  _Taiyoko_  crew, during the thick tension, remained in their positions. The soldiers inside the ship bridge kept their eyes open on the radars, receiving the above ships' movements. Enna gripped her circumaural headset and shouted through the mike near her mouth, "We're taking off soon. SUJ units, standby for capsule release! I repeat, standby for capsule release!"

One soldier in a blue uniform looked over his shoulder towards Toriko, who was sitting in a chair while watching Yang's ships through the bridge's front window, "Master Nechimoku, ships are accelerating towards different locations on Earth! Looks like there are splitting into four smaller fleets and are heading in."

The elder narrowed her eyes, "I knew it. Yang is splitting his armada to attack. We have no choice, but we have to follow only two of them."

In the further right corner, Fuuji was sitting behind a panel checking data. "The largest vessel, most likely the enemy flagship  _Jushan_ , is in orbit along with others. The systems are indicating that some of the ships surrounding  _Jushan_  are battleships and destroyers."

"Damn, if we launch the rocket capsules now, they will notice." said a blue-uniformed soldier. Another soldier, in a red uniform, slouched in his chair, "Futile! It's futile!"

"At the moment, they shouldn't be able to see us. Radar-wise, if they change frequency they might be able to." Toriko squeezed the armrests of her chair, her heart and mind racing. "But it may be tougher since we're underneath them, and I don't think they are currently focused on space threats. How long does it take for the capsules to reach Earth?" asked Toriko.

"Approximately six minutes Master."

Toriko was silent and in deep concentration. Ideas were whirling through her head and being deducted. She desired to think of a way of executing the plan without compromising the  _Taiyoko_  or the rocket capsules, but there might've been no other way. Any movement would most likely be detected; it was already good that they weren't noticed now mostly due to the flagship's radar-absorbent paint and its light-bending cloak.

"Master, you're not going to believe this!" called a red coat soldier peering at his radar.

"What is it?"

"It's the four broken fleets and where they are headed!"

"Where?"

"I'm looking at a global projection of Earth now. They are headed towards the following: The United States, the Caucasus region, China, and..."the soldier paused.

Toriko raised her eyebrows and noticed the red coat trembling. "What?! What's the fourth one?"

"It's Japan, Master."

Expected gasps filled the bridge. Fuuji turned his head to see Toriko's shocked expression upon her face, "Japan?! Not the Japan where we have been living, right?!" he asked.

The red coat soldier pressed a few buttons and brought up a projection of Earth, which filled the middle of the front bridge window with a transparent HUD (head-on display). Arrows traced by dotted lines flew across the map and headed towards the aforementioned destinations. The arrow heading for Japan had the number "2" next to it, while the one heading for the U.S.A had the number "1". The soldiers continued speaking out the situation, while Enna relayed all information to the hangar.

"Two ships are heading to Japan and Western United States!"

"Only one ship is heading towards Caucasus region and China."

"The rest of Yang's fleet has yet to advance and are in orbit"

"Countermeasures are still operational and we have yet to be detected."

"Only one or two ships?" Fuuji said, "Why?"

After being quiet and in thought for a while, Toriko finally spoke, "It may take  _some_  aggression after all," she said, and took in some breath through her nose to relax, "We are outnumbered, but everything has just begun. This is a game to them."

"Master?!" called out a nervous soldier.

"Are you sure?" asked Fuuji, "They most likely have many combat craft on board their ships."

"Yes," the elder said. The tension in Toriko's hands eased and she moved them from the armrests and down to her lap, "I am sure. Are we supposed to give up because they have more manpower and firepower? Are we supposed to lie on this moon and watch the Shenbu do what they wish? This is Earth, we should understand it more than them and it turns out that a couple of the ships are headed for our current home of Japan. If war has taught us one thing, is that with enough determination, fate can be changed. And that nothing good comes from faltering against fear."

Eyes from all around the bridge watched Toriko. There is a silence, a warm kind of silence, as if everyone believed in what the elder said. Surely, as they listened, their survival instincts were rekindling.

Toriko continued, "And don't forget, Earth is on our side on this. I'm skeptical on their power, but they are not going to stand around and let their planet get attacked." She pointed to a blue uniform soldier, who squinted, "You! Contact the gunner squads and tell them to stay alert. And Enna," her finger then swiftly moved to the blonde-haired red coat, "contact Homura in the hangar and tell him to scramble a squadron. We're going to provide a cover for the capsules."

"Yes ma'am!" Both soldiers nodded their heads at the elder and turned to the frequencies panels.

"It is risky to try and cover the capsules for six minutes." said Fuuji.

"Actually, I think we need  _less_  time than that. It takes six minutes total for the capsules to impact Earth, but if they pass through the atmosphere, they should be fine. Reaching there should take about a minute. Let's think about this. Using cannons, big ships are inaccurate when it comes to small and swift targets. That leaves them with missiles, which we can counter against."

"But the beam weapons can shoot the capsules down if they don't make it to the atmosphere. I am most concerned about them." Fuuji continued to refute, grabbing his flat cap and squeezing it from tension, "Also, we can't use jamming. It will disrupt the capsules' processing computers needed to guide them to Earth."

"Fuuji, please be positive. We can use chaff to confuse the enemy radar." said Toriko, "and if possible, we can destroy their weapons using interceptors. If not, they will be expended their weapons if the squad lives long enough, and their fighting power against Earth should lower a little. Also, Yang's fleet will keep moving due to the orbit. We can probably force them to land on Earth and it might make things a little easier. Once again, this isn't their territory."

"That is, good thinking." said Fuuji.

"Have faith always. Alright! We don't have much time. Tell Homura to set the capsules' courses to Japan and United States." Toriko ordered. "The locations aren't that far apart. This is all I can think of in these desperate times – and that is accuracy and aggression. As for us, we need to get off this moon to launch the capsules. We'll have to head for Earth too, Japan specifically."

"Yes Master!" said the entire bridge.

"Also tell Homura to make sure some of the planes being sent out have flares. That should give us some cover too."

The operation started off gentle, momentarily.

On the Shenbu flagship  _Jushan,_ one soldier noticed two signatures surface on his radar, informing the Emperor and the staff inside the bridge. Visuals show that it was from "white cone-shaped vehicles that were heading towards Earth". They were not perceived as a threat and ignored, probably regarded as Earth human machinery or junk, then five more flying signals were detected shortly after. The objects rapidly appeared on radar, of course causing concern; radars followed four swift trajectories towards one of the battleships, and then there was a bright explosion.

Immediately, a message was sent through all radio lines, "Huizing-4 has taken a hit on the deck!"

Yang was surprised. "What?!"

"Checking target data now sir," said a  _Jushan_  spotter soldier.

"We will handle this intervention. Tell the Generals to stay on course to Earth." Yang ordered.

As laser beams lanced across open space, the two white capsules ignite their tri-thrusters and suddenly accelerate towards Earth, followed by the slower cloaked Taiyoko and the fifth interceptor. There were more explosions.

The spotter's computer finished processing the data, and much to the soldier's surprise, they were not unknown ships. Otherwise, they would be indicated with the letters "UNK" with a dash. Instead, the words that came up were "YGK" with the number "17" next to it.

"Yes, 'YGK-17' my Lord." After the revelation, the spotter soldier turned around and frowned, seeing his Emperor wide-eyed with jaws clenching. "The YGK-17?!" Yang's voice was a low, unhappy whisper. He knew what it meant, but could not believe he would have such an encounter near Earth.  _That is the code for a mass-produced interceptor jet from..._ , and Yang's thoughts stopped there. With Earth, his win, the revival of his planet being right in front of him, he quickly ordered his bridge soldiers, "Take no prisoners! Shoot anything that nears us."

His command was sent to the other ships and the expected responses were heard through the radio communications. "Weizang -3, engaging the enemy! Release fighters! Release fighters!"

"Huizing and Juizing ship units, engaging!"

Quickly, a space carrier discharged a squad of five white and green delta-winged aircraft. Before long, the four orange Shirei interceptors were tailed by the fighters and assaulted by anti-aircraft fire from both the destroyers and battleships. Explosives, beams, barely missed shrapnel; it took more bravery than a lion, or a single man against two lions, to handle such chaos. There may have been a dash of luck too. For six minutes, the YGK-17 Seki jets' bold performance in speed and agility had to shine. They would not be able to follow their flagship's lead back to Earth, but fortunately for the Taiyoko, the chaos gave it the distraction it needed to head towards Earth without engaging.

"Guuuh, it feels too outnumbered!" said one tensed Seki pilot, who was quickly amidst danger. Noting his RWR (Radar Warning Receiver), he increased lift in his orange long-necked plane, banked right then barreled left, confusing the missile that was hot on his tail, "but I'll do whatever I can!"

"This is Seki-1, stay alive as long as possible!" ordered the commander, "all planes, deploy chaff!"

"Yes Captain!" Seki pilots 2 through 4 agreed.

"This is for our freedom! For Earth! For Shirei! For our Princess! Increase range to avoid lock-on and enemy fire, use the sun to blind the enemy, destroy the weapon systems if possible. We're going to be pests to that Yang day in and day out!"

Hatches lift from the YGKs' backs and micro-sized canisters were dispensed into space, where they subsequently open and unleash a large cloud of metal glass pieces. As a result, the enemy's radars became cluttered. It looked like a mess upon the screens, like a paint stain on clear white paper. Details on the location and altitude of the Seki jets were blotted out as the chaff kept bouncing back EM signals and confusing the radar. In addition, radar guided weapons would be ineffective. "That should buy us a little time," said Seki-1. The destroyers and battleships stopped firing when their targeting computers became perplexed and dysfunctional, unable to pinpoint a real target, but there were still the five enemy fighters with their HUDs, close-range weapons, and heat-seeking missiles.

While the dogfight went on, the gunnery men of the Shenbu battleship and destroyers would take matters into their own hands and switch to electrical periscopes for manual combat. As soon as they did, heat-seeking missiles were launched into the battle. They would be a little inaccurate, but would diligently pursue the pesky Seki jets as they abused speed, thus burned their engine fuel. The beam cannons were back in use and depended on the eyes of the men.

"Where did they come from?!" Yang wondered aloud, "Were the jets modified for stealth purposes or did they come from a star base or ship? Or did they come from Earth? Neither just can't be."

"My Lord, the radars are blocked. Before that, we only detected five YGK units. One is heading towards Earth, while four are engaging the  _Luo_  units. There are also the two unknown space machines and one of the YGKs seems to be pursuing them."

Yang narrowed his eyes and calmly commanded, "Shoot them down!"

As expected, all the Seki jets were chased by heat-seeking missiles, including the one watching the capsules. The camouflaged Taiyoko was not too far and would be easily traced by the heat its solar engines were emitting.

"Seki-5! Releasing solar-powered flare!" Taking prompt action, the interceptor pilot clicked a button and metal pieces of burning heat were released behind the jet. It banked right and cooled its engines, still releasing flare, and causing the missiles to veer away from the capsules. The projectiles followed the dropped flares and Seki-5, losing direction. "Taiyoko, break through into Earth. Please take care." The pilot said.

The battle zone was a terrifying place for both Shenbu and Shirei. Terrain masking to hide from radar and the backup Doppler scanners to detect changes in sound waves were almost impossible to use in the open vacuum called Outer Space, and look-down/shoot-down modes of the fighter aircraft and combat ships to seek out the low-altitude ships were unnecessary (luckily for the  _Taiyoko_ ).

Also, in the vacuum, the chaff cloud could float wherever it pleased. All that was left was skill, grit and weapon technology.

Meanwhile, the capsules and Taiyoko were going to enter Earth's atmosphere without trouble.

Yami and Indra however, have already breached.

It was evening in Tokyo and Yang's message had finally stopped repeating itself, which marked the start of the Emperor's war game.

After detecting two of Yang's ships, the JSDF or Japan Self-Defense Force have been on alert and took charge in both ushering the citizens to evacuate and preparing a defense. Type 90 tanks and auto cannons lined across Tokyo's roads, a squad of Mitsubishi F-2 fighters launched into an emergency sortie, all forces waited and kept watch on their focal target with their nightvision.

The appearance of large flying spaceships was a shock, but even more shocking was the black mecha that had jumped out from one of them. The metropolis' citizens looked up and saw something large and ominous slowly descend from the dark night sky. It had a bucket-shaped body, stout arms and legs, a trapezoid-like head with horns, thin red eyes, and rocket engines on its back.

As soon as it landed in the city and entered firing range, the tanks let loose. 120 mm shells from the tanks and the 60mm from the cannons bombed the Yamikyo MK II. The dark giant stood motionless, taking every hit as its armor crushed the shells, while its pilot General Yami howled with laugher inside the cockpit. "I guess this thing is not so bad. Now to satisfy myself!"

Small pivotal dual cannons on Yamikyo's shoulder tilted downward to aim at the tanks. The F-2 squadron rushed in, locked on, and fired a swarm radar-guided missiles at the black giant's head. Yami noticed the warning signals going off and heaved back the control levers, the Yamikyo sluggishly backing up and raising its blocky arm. The missiles hit and explode, consuming the Yamikyo's arm and head in a thick black smoke. Shortly afterward, four shots fired out from the smoke.

"Uwaaah!" cried a pilot over the JSDF coms, following a loud explosion and white noise. The high velocity of beams soared through the air and cleaved one of the F-2 in half, causing the others to break. The Yamikyo had only shuddered from the missiles' high explosives. Yami grinned; the shoulder beam cannons were re-aligned to aim at the tanks again and were fired again, striking a tank. It was easily disabled.

"Our weapons are ineffective?!" said one tank soldier.

"You guys are pretty easy, just as I thought!" A crowing Yami aimed her shoulder cannons this time at Tokyo's buildings and let it fire for five seconds straight. Each 2500mm caliber beam pelted at the steel structures, flew through windows, straying as far as to even hit civilian homes. Debris fell on the roads and Yami turned on her mech's loudspeaker. "Earth, I am General Yami of the Shenbu Kingdom under Emperor Yang," she said. "Before I get rid of you all, I want to know where these Hoshizawa guys are."

The only answer Yami was given was silence. There is a loud hiss of steam as the plates of Yamikyo's barreled chest swing open, revealing missile pods. The General bellowed, "The super anti-threat force the Hoshizawa Association! Tell me where they are now!"

Yami's thumb rubbed on the trigger, slowly leaned in to press it, until she saw a hatch atop a tank open. One bold soldier slowly emerged from his vehicle and into view, raising his arms in submission, "Don't shoot!"

"Then answer me! I was told that their headquarters were here, tell me where now!"

Before an answer was given, more alarming messages were sent through the JDSF radios:

"Warning! Warning! Another unit is on its way."

"What?!"

"Coming towards our direction at a high speed! Two-thousand meters and closing in by the second!"

"Something else is coming here?!" The tank soldier conversing with Yami said out in the open, which made the female General quite curious. She grinded her teeth and prepared to complain at the Earth man for getting distracted, until she also noticed. Yami's eyes motioned over the radar, following the target. "Who in the hell?!" she had to wonder. The answer came to her quick.

Yami heard a loud crash outside the cockpit, and jolted violently in her seat. Her scream sounded through the loudspeaker, and the over forty-meter Yamikyo MKII staggered into a building. The JSDF forces were surprised at what they just witnessed, and what just appeared before them in their precious city.

"Who dares?!" The Yamikyo's loudspeaker was still on and Yami sounded furious. Her mech had its back against the building and the blow it took was strong and swift enough to make it slump onto its rear end. Clenching her fanged teeth, Yami peered through her front electrical visor as it was in the process of recovering from static, "Who dares?! Hoshizawa?!"

Again, she was not given a typical answer. Instead, what the General heard was the voice of a young lady: "That voice, I know that voice."

The visor's static finally cleared and Yami's eyes widened at what she saw staring down at her. Even the JDSF were surprised.

"Yami." The girl said, "You're still the same as when I last met you."

"No, it can't be." The voice of the General had mitigated. What she saw was a tall red and orange mech with a heart-shaped frame. What seemed to be a spherical and polished blue solid was infused into its chest armor. She looked up further to notice its round head shaped like a bird, a V-shaped crown over its blue eyes, and a long beak. "It can't be!" She repeated. It wasn't obvious in her voice filled with dread, but the sight of the new mech and the sound of the stranger's brazen voice only made her anger grow.

That voice, that voice that antagonized Yami came from the past.

"Shenbu General, I will  _NEVER_  forgive you!" It was Yuuko Hidaka.


	8. An Ally of Justice. Shirei's volcanic princess, Hiori Soratoga!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A furious Yuuko Hidaka appears, who is revealed to be Hiori Soratoga. Protecting Japan, Hiori battles Yamikyo with her mecha SolAka.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yami's an ass (lol). Here's some Yami (闇 OR யமி) trivia. 
> 
> Her name in Asia is often associated with the night, darkness, and death. In Hinduism, the goddess Yami is the twin sister of Yama, the god of death. Both Yama and Yami formed the first mortals. In Hinduism, Yami is sometimes called Yamuna, which is the name of a notable river and is also worshiped as a goddess. When the naga (serpent) Kaliya was defeated by Krishna, the river became dark. Before that, the river was poisonous.

" _I will never forgive you!" Speaking such words, the "Princess" would endlessly pursue human harmony. However, the evil side does not easily yield._

_Today is the Dark Giant vs. the Red Sun_

 

* * *

 

 

"It can't be!"

"Shenbu General, I will  _NEVER_  forgive you!"

On a summer evening in Tokyo, Yami, a high-ranking General of the extraterrestrial Deva Dynasty, touched down with a black super mech called Yamikyo Mark II. Simply from her first few attacks, it would seem that Earth's defeat was inevitable – until someone intervened. An ally of justice (creatively called a  _seigi no mikata_ to refer to a hero, 正義の味方) arrived, a crime avenger that dramatically appeared to help a friend in the nick of time, just like in the comics. That hero took the form of a red bird-like mecha, and it swooped down and knocked the Yamikyo off its feet.

Through her mech's electrical visor, Yami scrutinized the red bird's body, starting with its sleek four-toed talons. Moving up, she could tell that the entire frame was humanoid-like and less bulky than Yamikyo, outfitted with red armor. Inlaid in the torso was a lustrous blue sphere; Yami looked at the head, seeing a small golden frill design around the face and a V-shaped crest over the eyes. Its beak was long and orange. And, to further complement the avian look, the back held a pair of large gold wings.

"No! What is it doing here?!" General Yami said, her eyes widened at the display. "That's, that's...SolAka?!"

The Self-Defense Force stared at the bird with silent awe and felt a tad of relief, but only briefly. The feeling of danger returned to them before long, their bodies flinching as General Yami's howl exploded through her loudspeaker full force. Yamikyo's eyes flashed red and its hands slammed down onto the road, causing a tremor. Its heavy body turned over until its backside faced out at the bird mech. The JSDF backpedal their tanks as the ground underneath them rumbled. Yamikyo pushed up with its arms, flexed its legs, and sluggishly got back to standing on its feet. Once it did, it turned around to face the so-called SolAka.

Yami was clenching her teeth, her heart pounding quickly from rage. "You! You! SORATOGA! !" she screamed. The muzzles of her mech's 2500mm shoulder cannons illuminated, then unleashed four bright laser streams directly at SolAka. With an audible grunt from its pilot SolAka leapt to the right side, pulled back its wings out of the way via malleable arms anchored to them, and evaded the shots. Yamikyo quickly turned its body to follow the bird's movements, aiming its cannons at Sol again.

"What are you doing on Earth?! Tell me now!" demanded the General. More laser fire flew through the air. SolAka this time ducked low, its hand-like claws digging into the road, the beams nearly scraping its wing pack.

"NOVA BEAM!" Yuuko cried. Facing directly the dark giant, SolAka's golden crest flashed then launched four white bolts of plasma at Yamikyo. The counter shots hit Yamikyo's swelled out front armor and burst into explosions, causing it to shake a little. General Yami cringed as each hit produced a glare that flickered through her visor. When she opened her eyes, Yami threw her head back and burst into laughter, smacking her hand onto her face, "What was that?! How weak are you?" Yamikyo stood in place, the nova beam attack only leaving scorch marks.

The General looked ahead again, and raised both eyebrows. Her target was not there, "Huh?! Where?!"

A shadow covered the Giant. Yami looked up, "WHAT?!"

"We've just begun Yami!" said Yuuko.

And SolAka, descending from the air, bashed its foot into Yamikyo's face.

"Gwah!"

The black giant staggered in between some skyscrapers and began to recline.

"Damn!" shouted Yami as she felt herself tilting backwards along with her mech. Yamikyo stretched out its arms to the side and its hands clutched onto two of the buildings to keep balance. SolAka landed and immediately bolted at Yamikyo, swinging at it with a closed claw. The punch knocked against the armor, causing Yami to shake in her seat again. The grip on her control levers tightened; more punches followed, hitting and forcing Yamikyo back by a step. Only a  _single_  step.

"Why? This must be some kind of joke. Who is in there?!" asked Yami.

Yamikyo lunged out its hand of blade-like fingers, going for Sol's head. The bird turned back at a ninety degree angle. The giant's attack passed by and SolAka embraced its vulnerable, stretched out limb with both arms, trapping it into a tight grip.

"I said who is in there?!" Yami asked again, her tone easily reflecting irritation.

"It is me, Hiori (火折)."

"Hi...ori?!"

Yamikyo brought forward its other arm and slammed SolAka's face with a palm strike. The General grinned as she heard Yuuko, or Hiori even, let out a grunt of pain. Sol teetered back a few steps as if disoriented. With its arm freed, the Giant closed in and brought up its knee, "Ah-ha! It's YOU!" said Yami.

" _UGH_!" SolAka was met with another strike.

Fitted with small spikes, Yamikyo's knee punctured into Solaka's thigh armor. The bird retreated back further ajd doubled up. It looked like it was in pain; to further express this, it moved its hand claw over the small holes made by the knee attack. Inside the red mech, standing inside a spacious compartment was Hiori, grabbing her gut as well, her face twisted. Her hooded blue eyes looked ahead and she noticed Yamikyo charging right at her. Hiori immediately straightened her body and flexed her arms at her sides, transmitting her movements to SolAka. No matter what kind of pain she felt, her mind was only affixed on winning,  _"no matter what, I must get through this. She must be stopped. Yang must be stopped!"_  she thought.

Yamikyo rammed into SolAka, pushing the bird across the road until it crashed back first into a building. "Heh! It makes more sense now. You're the princess that escaped!"

Hiori clenched her teeth together as she felt pressure squeezing her entire body. By its shoulders, SolAka was getting pinned next to the building by Yamikyo's brute force.

"I don't know why you're here, but the result of this fight will be just like before."

"I won't let that happen!" Hiori retorted.

"You're going to tell a servant to the Heavenly Son what is  _not_  going to happen?" Yami let out humored humph. "Impudence!"

Then, her voice rose, wailing. "You make me sick! Your voice, the appearance of your mecha, your tribe, all of it makes me sick! And the fact that you are trying to intervene with me once more makes me sick! You are going to learn well what it means to get in our way!"

Yamikyo pushed more, pinning down SolAka harder, causing it to let out a sharp shrill from its own beak.

"You are going to learn how to fear the Deva!"

Another push and Hiori yelped loudly. She felt the building starting to collapse under SolAka.

"Yami of the Dark is going to take you down. It should relieve me a little of the wounds and shameful defeat I've sustained from the last pilot."

Hiori gasped from those words. She then squeezed her teeth together, but it was not because of the physical strain she was feeling. Something snapped inside of her; and suddenly, the lustrous gem inside of SolAka's chest began to glow.

Yamikyo's head tilted down as its pilot noticed, "What?!" she said, "The Soul Gem?"

"I said – I  _won't_  let that happen!" said Hiori.

SolAka kicked out a leg, slamming its talon into Yamikyo's rotund body. The Giant reared back; Sol quickly rose from the building, assumed a running charge, and attacked with punch after punch. Each impact of the golden fists couldn't make a dent and seemed to only make Yamikyo to quiver like before. However, the intensity of the shakes was enough to make General Yami to flinch in her chair and make her stall.

"How about this?!" Hiori pulled her arm back, spread out her fingers, and swung them forward. The bird mech imitated her, raking its hand claw against Yamikyo's front. Sparks fly as the talon slid right down the body, and left four meager cuts. The Dark Giant took the chance to swing its own sharp fingers at Sol. Vernier thrusters located on the bird's shin armor rotate forward and spurt out ionized air to help it jump backwards, the blades narrowly missing it.

Hiori rubbed the top of her hand, "No good. It has such strong armor." She said to herself, "Even my own knuckles can feel its density. It's like the punches are useless. This is my first time using SolAka in a real battle and I already have a big challenge."

Yami let out another loud laugh, forcing Hiori to regain focus and look ahead. A few meters of distance stood between the two big mechs.

"Listen to me, Princess Soratoga. You won't be able to defeat me that easily," The large dark mech raised its arms, "For this is Shenbu's Black Iron Giant, the Yamikyo Mark Two! Even the human's weapons are rendered nothing against it. You know why? Because the brunt of its fat frame is covered with layers of alloyed iron."

"You were always the one to gloat." said Hiori.

"That is because I am right! This body, Yamikyo's body, is a terror to many weapons including standard projectiles. So, what do you plan to do?"

"I will find a way." Hiori said with resolve.

"How stupid are you!? Didn't you hear all what  _I_  had just said?!"

"Maybe I am quite stupid in your eyes." SolAka pointed to Yamikyo. "However, I won't let you enslave this Earth!"

The General's face twisted as she glared angrily through her electric visor, her jagged teeth gritting together. Now Yami's hubris seeped away, replaced with fury once again, "You will die right NOW! Yamikyo! FIRE!"

SolAka's gold wings swing out, unfurling its tucked in golden primary and secondary feathers of different lengths. Yami squeezed the trigger and beams of light fired once again from her mech's shoulder cannons.

Sol's shin vernier thrusters rotate downward and fire, assisting its jump into the air. Next, half-ellipsoid shaped hatches on its back lift up to uncover two dual rocket boosters. The rockets' nozzles jut out and unleash a strong output, and the beams fly right underneath its target's feet. Now the bird was once again high above Yamikyo. Combining the use of its wings, rocket thrust vectoring, and verniers, Sol kept its weight aloft and slowly circled around the Giant.

"Hah!" Yami tilted the cannons up to target Sol, but it would float away from her screen's crosshair. Yamikyo shifted to aim better, and before her mech could fire, a multitude of attacks struck its body. Yami grunted as the repeating impacts rocked her mech's body.

"Huh?!" Hiori looked down the city road, noticing smoke from afar.

"Fire! Fire!"

It was the Self-Defense Force, unleashing cannon fire from their tanks. The Mitsubishi F-2 aircraft return and fire missiles at Yamikyo's head. Both arms went up to receive the flying shells, which release a fiery explosion on impact. Yami's growling sounded out from her loudspeaker, "you pests!"

Once again Yamikyo had to defend itself against the F-2 fighters, because out of its whole body, its small trapezoid-shaped head looked the most brittle. Furthermore, its main cannons could get damaged. Their barrel sizes required some space and were built erect over the shoulder.

Watching silently Hiori realized this; because the Earth humans faced what would seem to be a futile battle on their side, commendable feelings welled up inside of her. It was to be expected from what she had learned from them. The people of Earth were filled with intrepidity.

" _All of you, thank you_." Those were her thoughts, and SolAka went for a pitching dive towards the Dark Giant while it was completely distracted. "I will see to it, I will see to it that we win!"

Hiori's loud cry, one that emanated will and assured victory, reverberate through the air, and it was enough to make Yami look up. Next thing she knew, she was swinging around her chair again as SolAka seized Yamikyo. Talons reached out and grasped the head and the shoulder. There was a loud crunch of metal and the hiss of damaged machinery. With one push the giant completely lost its balance and fell hard onto its back.

"Gah! Damn it!" Cried Yami.

With the enemy mecha pinned under it, Solaka pulled back its claw and ripped off the right dual beam cannon that it had crushed, throwing it away. It then let go of Yamikyo's head and motioned its other claw towards the left cannon. Yamikyo at a surprising speed clasped its left hand around Sol's claw and began to squeeze it. Hiori registered the firm grip through her own wrist, causing her to bite her lower lip while enduring the strain. She could even feel little stings across her own palm as the Giant's finger blades were nipping against Sol's talon. Luckily, Yami have yet to apply enough strength for the blades to slit through.

"Sorry, but I'm keeping the other cannon!" said Yami, "You troublesome wench!"

Yamikyo pulled the claw away; the other 2500mm dual cannon jolted in position to shoot at Aka's face, point blank.

Hiori would attack first. "Nova Beam!" Solaka's head crest shined again, firing bolts of energy at the cannon, which met Yamikyo's dorsum covering it. It had moved its other hand over; at that moment, the bird mecha threw down a punch with her other claw on Yamikyo's shielding hand. Hiori pushed down the fist as much as she could, and then there was another crunch. It was the sound of collapsing metal.

"WHAT?!" Yami gawked. "That did not just happen!"

The other dual cannon was now dysfunctional, crushed underneath Yamikyo's own hand by accident. The bird folded in its wing feathers and quickly crawled off the downed Yamikyo. It straightened up just short in front of it and stretched out one arm forward. Now it was a good chance to take advantage of its sluggishness.

"Yami! I shall finish off your Black Iron Giant with this next attack!" said Hiori.

"You're really pissing me off Soratoga! You think you've gotten me?" Yamikyo did not roll over to get up this time, but instead, raised one arm outward.

"This isn't over yet!" said the General. Suddenly, Yamikyo's blade-like fingers rushed from its hand, and before Hiori's eyes she saw one of them pierce clean through a vertical row of three JDSF tanks.

"Uwaaah!" cried the soldiers.

Hiori gasped, turning SolAka's head towards the Japanese. "No!"

"Yes!" Yami chuckled, "You may have destroyed my lovely cannons Princess, but there is more to this giant. Also, you seem to be restricted to mainly close-range attacks. So, I've decided on something. If you encroach upon me again, I'm going to kill the humans!"

Hiori only stared and felt nothing beyond shock, "What?!"

"Yes, you don't want to see more death do you? I know you, I know you well. You, your family, you were always into caring about others. That's why you're here right? The way you have been speaking to me, it's like you have intent to protect everybody here. 'I will not allow you to enslave this Earth' you said." Yamikyo retracted its fingers halfway and aim them towards another line of tanks, "How foolish of you to freeze. I don't get why you concern yourself over such things but that won't matter if you don't cooperate."

"You coward!" Hiori shouted.

"Bite me Princess!" Yamikyo managed to lift up only the upper quarters of its body. Red eyes stared directly at SolAka, its claws still aimed outward, but that concern would be quickly put aside.

"I'm going to teach you a big lesson!" said Yami. Hatches across the Giant's layered upper chest and lower legs open up, and then the air was engulfed by loud shrieks as mini missiles in excess of sixty were released. They fly right towards SolAka, their target. The bird crossed both of its arms over its chest in a defensive posture and took all of the minuscule projectiles. Louder than the multitude of explosions Hiori yowled in agony. It was music to Yami's ears, and it made her laugh.

"How's that?!" The General mocked, "That'll teach you to damage my lovely cannons! You want some more?! HERE!" More missiles were fired from the lower legs, hitting Sol and causing it to back away.

"Maybe I should be generous?" Yami said. She launched ten from one leg, ten from the other, and just about the same amount from the chest in order to not expend the ammo. From every explosion, Hiori screamed. At the end of the assault, Yamikyo managed to get back up again and Sol was on one knee. The missile hatches close.

"Hah, the Dark Giant is truly a machine of firepower. Now it's time to end this." Yamikyo aimed its hand at the prostrated bird, "I think I'll take off your head. I have no idea how this SolAka managed to beat on Kamegare, but this is definitely my win!"

"No! Wait!" cried out one of the JDSF soldiers.

"Goodbye Prin—!"

Before Yami could attack, another voice had disrupted her, calling out from a loudspeaker, "You!" As Hiori heard it, SolAka turned its head to the tanks, "Huh?"

"You in the bird!"

Hiori acknowledged with a simple, "Yes?"

"My name is Lt Colonel Asahikawa (旭川 中佐), and I have a question for you." The person sounded like a male, someone with a voice of authority, fit for someone of his rank. Furthermore, as expected from a soldier, he was a brave man to interrupt.

" _A commander_." Hiori thought.

Yamikyo looked over to the JDSF, "What the hell are you guys doing?!" asked Yami.

The Lieutenant continued, "My question is: Are you on our side?"

"Huh?" SolAka tilted its head.

"Do you want to protect us?"

"Of, of course," said Hiori. Her mech bobbed its head, "Yes, of course! Of course I do!"

"Good. That is good. Then, forget us."

Hiori's voice immediately rose in retort, "What?! No!" Since she moved on an instinct to protect the Earth, only those two straightforward words were forced out of her mouth after being thunderstruck.

"Hey Hey! Are you encouraging her?!" Yami sounded a little annoyed, and she turned her mech completely around to face the JSDF tanks, "You must be insane!"

But Ashikawa ignored the General and continued, "That is right. For our sake, if if it means sacrifice, do not refuse to act. Please! Fight!"

"Silence!" shouted Yami.

"Miss Hiori, please fight!"

"I said SILENCE!"

The rest of the soldiers turned on their tanks' loudspeakers and cheered out in unison, "Fight! Fight! Fight! Fight! Fight!"

"You morons!" Yamikyo's missiles hatches open again, and Hiori would no longer restrain herself.

"UWAAAAAH!" As Hiori saw that, she disregarded the damage sustained on her mech and quickly pulled Sol back up from its knee. The gem in its chest burned brightly again, and Hiori's voice was just as lively, "I won't LET YOU!"

Similar to Yamikyo, small hatches across Sol's thigh armor open up, "Aka Missiles!" The pilot cried, and four red missiles were fired. Yamikyo turned, closed only its chest missile boxes, and met the projectiles head on, but they did not explode. Instead, they sunk right into the front armor; steam rose from the warheads. Yamikyo grasped the missiles with its hands and crushed them, destroying their interior engines. They were then pulled out without trouble; however the warheads, because of their cone-like barbed shape, left deep holes. Sol's missiles had managed to damage the armor, melted through it.

The result made Hiori smile, "Okay, that's good to know."

"What are you talking about? I said you can't break through this armor!" said Yami.

"I can and I WILL!" Back boosters ignite again and Solaka flew in close range quickly, throwing a punch straight at Yamikyo's head. The Giant raised both arms to block it; the General groaned, "You cannot defeat me! Not with the power I possess. You lost remember?! You lost your planet, your family, the war!"

No vocal response; the mid-air SolAka next lashed against the head with a roundhouse kick, smashing its leg into it hard and denting metal. Yamikyo's body teetered to one side and Sol pursued, pounding another fist against iron.

"Yami! Your shadows won't embrace me! When growing in power, everything else narrows including your insight and modesty. I will not allow the Dynasty to dictate humans. I won't let you oppress their beauty!" said Hiori.

General Yami screamed in fury, "D-Damn you Princess! Why would you want to protect these neand—!"

"De-yaaaaaah!" SolAka's pilot let out a spirited yell cutting off the evil General, and there was another crash. The heavyweight black mecha, standing over forty meters in height, fell back from receiving another blow to its face – from a kick.

"There are good people in the world," said the dignified Hiori, "they have the magic of being colorful, charming! When they are able to conquer their mistakes, toils and fears, and shift from being discontent to happy after realizing how prized their actions are, it gives them the will to live. Everything with a charm can spread happiness. And for you to prevent that with your tyranny, like back then, I'll never forgive you!"

Yami snarled, "I don't know what you're talking about, and I DON'T CARE!"

"I will show you what it means to crush what people care about dearly." SolAka like before stretched out its right arm and walked closer to the fallen giant. Yami once again saw the bird mecha look down on her and became furious.

"Die!" Yamikyo raised its arms and unleashed its extendable finger blades. From both hands all eight fingers flew as fast as wind and impaled into the bird mech's chest armor. As expected, Hiori groaned loud but her mech stood strong. Its armor prevented the blades from going through and the tips were left stuck.

"HEY! Hang in there!" shouted Lieutenant Asahikawa.

"I...will." Hiori said through a strained voice, the simulated pain of her body being pierced ached her body. "I will win! Sun Plumage!" From grooves within the wrist armor, six gold appendages lift up. Each "plumage" had a long diamond shape, and contained lines that imitated the rachis and barb of a common vaned feather. The lines lit up and the plumages, attached to a thin turbine built in the wrist, began to rotate. A compressed funnel of energy became visible and swirled around SolAka's right claw.

"That move!" Yami exclaimed.

"It's a powered rocket punch!" said a JDSF soldier. "It has to be!"

Hiori focused on Yamikyo's right hand and moved Sol's claw right next to the midmost part of the finger blades. The four long fingers bathed in the energy funnel seemingly without effect. But before long, the blades began to burn red – and deform. Yami let out a loud genuine gasp of shock; Solaka swung its right arm at Yamikyo's fingers, demolishing them. It pulled its arm and claw back, and then lunged.

"GALE TALON! !"

The attack struck the portly body of Yamikyo at its chest. The tips of Sol's claw press against the thick armor for a few seconds, heating it red, and creating a sensitive spot. The particle funnel did the rest; the moment the spinning wind touched the armor, it carved a hole right through.

SolAka rammed both talon and arm clean through Yamikyo's iron, and General Yami's distressed scream resonate through Tokyo.


	9. Good Morning America! Two storms rage in San Bernadino (Part 1)!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Indra is powerful and a very trustworthy General. Here is some trivia about his name.
> 
> A very powerful figure in Hindu Mythology, Indra was given many titles throughout his battle victories. He is the supreme ruler of the deities (Devas) and the God of both war and storms. While Indra is considered a demon-slaying hero in many Vedic (Hindu) scriptures, he is also seen as a demon in Ancient Iran myth. 
> 
> In Japan, he is known as Taishakuten (帝釈天, Supreme Ruler of Heaven [in an image]). 
> 
> Shaku (釈) means interpret, storytelling or elucidate.

_Hiori and SolAka's spirits burn with justice and are channeled into the Gale Talon. Yamikyo's pride, its armor, was broken!_

_Next, Claws of Vengeance versus Tusks of Power! Both soldiers, headstrong like a storm and welled with pride, clash._

* * *

 

" _Uwaaaaaaaaaaaaah!_ "

The scream was an indication of defeat and broken pride. SolAka's talon bore through Yamikyo MK II, the Dark Giant of Shenbu; and in that single move, it made General Yami who exalted the machine the most do nothing but cry out in genuine anguish. She frantically looked around as everything began to fall apart. Her mech rumbled, alarms blared through her ears, red light flickered from every direction to emphasize the danger, and the surrounding cockpit began to sizzled and burst apart. SolAka pulled its arm and talon from the layers of armor and backed away. The gaping hole within the black armor smoked, then after a few seconds, flame spurted out in front of Sol. The sun plumages retract back into the wrist grooves.

"Damn it!" screamed the thoughts of General Yami.

Like a drawer, something jutted out from underneath the hole. Hiori looked up and a black box-shaped receptacle zipped from her, ascending towards one of the Shenbu ships.

"WAIT!" Hiori rose onto her toes and extended her arm. SolAka instantly took into the air using its back jet rockets, a claw reaching out.

"Gwah!" Abruptly, the princess bent over and clenched her teeth, her eyes squeezing shut from a surge of pain. Noises as loud as the roar of Sol's engines entered. The phoenix's chase was subdued and its body began to reverse as hit after shoving hit intermittently met its body.

"Juzing, providing cover fire!" said one Shenbu crew member. "Retrieve escape pod and retreat."

Hiori raised her head to look and in her line of sight was the bow of  _Juzing_ , the battleship that accompanied Yami. On the bow were clearly long-barreled dual guns; flanking the conning tower were smaller turreted guns. In other words, Hiori had them pointing right at her. She saw two quick flashes and winced again, SolAka's body pelted by more fire. A light shot by; along with having to bear with the chest pain, Hiori grabbed her waist as she also felt something slit through her skin. She was not exactly getting hurt; she was not getting sliced, pierced, burnt, or blown open by explosive warheads or beam shots, but like during the fight with Yamikyo she was feeling the attacks received by SolAka.

The receptacle from Yamikyo docked at the side of the  _Weihang_  carrier, which was a ways behind and above the  _Juzing_. It began to ascend and easily convey that it was fleeing.

"You red demon of the Southern continent! Take this!" A crewman made his ire and great joy known through a loudspeaker.

The Juizing was diligent in its attacks, firing as if it faced a force on its own until the end. SolAka hit the ground back first and the guns stopped.

" _BUSHI_!" Another attack was arriving.

Pods near the backmost side of the battleship opened up.

" _ZAAAAAAAAAAAN_!" But Hiori was spared any more pain. Despite her stamina seeping from her, she opened her eyes again. She didn't seem to die, but what she saw was quite peculiar. The vision would only last a few seconds; and at that last second of consciousness, before her hooded eyes, the  _Juizing_  split in half from the center of its hull.

* * *

SolAka's first battle on Earth has ended favorably, but what of the capsule that entered America? And what of the Taiyoko?

In order to magnify his spirit before battle, a soldier made it a practice to reminisce a particular grating memory. It would harden his heart and make him remember why he was fighting:

" _What-are-you-TALKING ABOUT?"_

" _You heard us."_

" _Are you insane? Are you STUPID? You're questioning my ability to—"_

" _In these hard times, you're rashness and arrogance is going to get us killed."_

" _You will debilitate our force against the Shenbu and you are unable to process good strategy."_

" _You old bastards. You! All of you! This is insubordination! No, this is_ _treason_ _!"_

" _...hmm."_

" _How dare you? How dare all of you? While my father is in the condition that he is?"_

" _He agreed to this."_

" _You're lying Masaru!"_

" _He is not lying!"_

" _This can't be! Hey, Ginshirou! Tell me they are lying! You must tell me! Ginshirou? No, no...those eyes...you're serious...WHY? NOT you too!"_

" _What's that?"_

" _It's the enemy! Watch out!"_

At the end of the memory was a giant silhouette.

Many minutes before the end of the Japan fight, Torahiko opened his eyes and met the unfamiliar view of a wide sandy area covered in shrubs under a night sky. Wasting no time, Torahiko rose from his cross-legged meditation posture and dashed across the sands. Little to his concern, while it was the evening in Japan, it was the  _early_  morning in San Bernadino, California and the young tiger would be spared of the High Desert's searing heat. His ears and eyes were attracted to a developing battle. The sights of flashes in the air like lightning, the screeching of rapid gunfire, the urgent roar of alarms, it was almost like it all called out to him and he took the lure wholeheartedly.

And there was also the sight of two ships in the air, and a large mobile object advancing a facility.

* * *

The vulcans unleashed a heavy barrage of bullets and not a single one could thrust through the large object that was approaching the base. Large searchlights were directed towards the target, revealing a white body.

"This is the American Branch Hoshizawa Base correct?" said a gallant male voice through a loudspeaker. "If you wish to survive then bring out something worthy of battle. Your puny guns cannot harm me!"

As the body moved closer, the crew manning the ground cannons could not believe what they saw. They looked up with their lower mouths hung low, stared for a few seconds, and then scrambled for the base. Red eyes gave out a fierce flash; without a doubt, what looked down upon them was an oversized mech. Its design was a simple cross between a portly human and an elephant. The human features were unmistakable; the hands had five digits, and the arms and chest sported outlines like that of a robust weightlifter. Over the waist and upper legs was plates of brown armor designed like a _dhoti (short_ cloth worn around the waist _),_ decorated with green nodes.

The white elephant took another step forward, and one unmanned cannon was crushed underneath its boot-like foot. Its pilot's high-handed voice boomed through the speaker again, "Earth beings, you disappoint me! You knew you were going to be faced with a deadly enemy and yet you respond with such little might." He paused, watching the men retreat into the base through his HUD, "I suppose, I suppose it can't be helped. No matter what, like with any enemy I, Indra of Storms, will not show any mercy."

From inside the base, some of the men observed the elephant reaching over its shoulder and grabbing a tube. Much to their concern it seemed to be the only visible weapon it had.

"Continue to cower!" said Indra. Before the weapon could be unsheathed, the elephant's focus was averted. The men look in the same direction, and they are faced with the morning's second shock. The sound of engines amplified as one of the flying alien ships was seen descending from the sky. Its hull changed angle, moving downward; and trails of smoke followed it. The elephant's pilot had heard a loud explosion beforehand.

_Was I mistaken?,_  Indra thought. Even while seeing his  _Weihang_  carrier plummet towards the sands, the General's anger would be thinner than his feeling of pleasure. It seemed that he would finally meet the counterattack that he deserved. The elephant's body turned and faced in a new direction as something came into view.

Entering the field was another white body.

"So you've come, Hoshizawa," said Indra.

"I am not Hoshizawa!"

Stunned, Indra perused the mecha. It was slightly shorter than his, and it shared the same physical features – a cross between an animal and a human. Opposite of Indra's, the new mecha's human body was V-shaped with muscles, wide shoulders, and thin hips. Shoulders wore round golden guards and the hips were covered with a jagged loincloth like armor. Black stripes covered its entire frame.

"A white tiger?" Indra sounded puzzled, but not a least bit worried. "Why are you here?" He questioned casually.

The feline's blue eyes flash at the elephant, baring its fangs at it, "The reason why I am here," Torahiko kicked the ground and the image of the elephant closed in, "SHOULDN'T BE YOUR CONCERN!"

Before the eyes of Americans, the tiger reached the elephant in an instant and spun a kick at its head. The elephant grabbed the tiger's ankle, stopping the leg.

Chatter ensued inside the Hoshizawa base.

"Looks like we got help," said one of the base soldiers. "Sounds like the one in the tiger doesn't like one in the elephant."

"I don't like that elephant either!"

"I can't believe this! You'd think that we're filming a movie."

"But this ain't a film Alex!" We're about to get beaten by an overgrown Dumbo!"

"I don't think so! We got something for him don't we?"

The men turned and dashed away from the windows. Observation was over and it was time for the real Hoshizawa counterattack that Indra desired.

"URGH!" Torahiko grunted loud. Back at the battle, Indra's elephant slammed its fist into the tiger's stomach. The feline hit the sands back first, but it quickly got back into its feet growling.

"Who do you think you are trying to challenge me?" asked the General, "Earth belongs to Shenbu and you cannot change that fact."

The Tiger waved its arm in an indignant gesture, "SHUT UP!" Torahiko shouted, added with a subsequent roar from his mech, "Shenbu, I hate  _that_  word! And you know what I hate more?" A finger raised and pointed ahead, " _That_  mecha! The second I saw it, I considered nothing else. All I could think about was getting here as fast as I could, and killing you slowly. I didn't think I could be so lucky during my time here on Earth, but it looks like I can finally crush the one who ruined me."

The elephant pointed at the tiger with its capped trunk, " _You_...! A tiger mecha, it makes sense doesn't it?"

" _UwaaAAHHHHH_!" Torahiko's blood rushed and he dashed again. The trunk slightly recoiled, and Torahiko leaned to the side before two streams of light flew over his shoulder. He clenched his jaws and rushed into the elephant, embracing it at its wide torso. Suddenly, Torahiko began to gag.

"Your strong words doesn't reflect your fighting spirit, fool." Indra said as he stared down hard at his opponent, "Yes, you are the kind of scum who talks big and stands no chance against a seasoned soldier like me!"

" _Auggh_ —let...!" Torahiko struggled to get his words out. The elephant had its flexible trunk coiled around the tiger's neck.

"However, even if you were like me, I still wouldn't be a simple matter to deal with. For this is the strongman of the STN units." Indra paused to hear more of Torahiko's strangling sounds, then continued, "This is one of the mecha blessed to the Dynasty's  _Shintennou_ , Gajavar. Remember that name well on your path to the next world."

Torahiko began to make coherent words, "Didn't I..." The tiger's jaws part open, "just tell you,"

Then bit down on the trunk!

"TO SHUT UP!"

Fangs crack into metal and Indra let out a low gasp, the trunk uncoiling the tiger's neck. Torahiko immediately threw out a punch. "Stop talking like you've already WON this fight!" And the fist of the resilient White Tiger met in between the Gajavar's eyes, stiffening the metal Elephantidae. Indra was silent.

"You talk about me being a big talker! When it's snarky idiots like you who always look down and underestimate people like me!"

The General still did not raise a voice.

"Gajavar, I remember! You're the one I must destroy! I, Torahiko Yuutsukasa, shall restore honor to the Byakko tribes with their symbolic mecha – the BaoShiro! You remember both names while I send you to Hell!"


	10. Good Morning America! Two storms rage in San Bernadino! (Part 2)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Torahiko unleashes his rage against General Indra, and its Baoshiro vs Gajavar. The Taiyoko arrives in the same battlefield.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Gajavar is a Ground Assault/Heavy Defense super robot based on an elephant. The animal was picked based on the many myths of the god Indra, with one where he has an elephant named Airavata as a mount. The name is from the words ''gaja'' / ''gajah'' (गज; elephant) and ''Ishvar'' (a god or supreme being), both Hindi or Sanskrit. 
> 
> Gajavar wields the Marai Spear (魔雷槍).

_Two white giants battling in the desert; this is the brash Torahiko's chance against a General._

_This is BaoShiro vs Gajavar._

* * *

 

"Gajavar, I remember! You're the one I must destroy! I, Torahiko Yuutsukasa, shall restore honor to the Byakko tribes with their symbolic mecha – the BaoShiro! Remember both names while I send you to Hell!"

Both white mecha were motionless; BaoShiro's fist was in between the forehead of its foe – the white elephant, Gajavar. Torahiko felt solid pressing against his curled fingers. Adding to his frustration, metal did not deform after the punch contacted. Next, a squeeze of pain emerged within Torahiko's wrist. Gajavar, seizing Baoshiro's arm, pulled the fist away and swung its head.

"Fu- _wah_!" The Byakko heir uttered an audible sound of pain. BaoShiro flew to the side as Gajavar's trunk smashed into its face.

"Yuutsukasa. I remember, the tribe of the West," said Indra. The white mech hit the sands, its body rolling. The General continued, "My troops were in charge of its invasion."

No matter what, BaoShiro hardly stayed on the ground. It swiftly regained footing and the view of the enemy, "Hah! Typical General! You keep yourself at the back and lead. Cause you know, if you're taken out, your squad is finished."

Gajavar aimed its trunk at the tiger again, "That is true. However, you do realize that those who are selected as a high-ranking officer such as a General are holders of various achievements and military experience. Are you implying that I am weak because I politically influence a nation?"

Torahiko didn't answer, nor rudely retorted, but cried out.

"Are you saying that I am as weak as  _you_?" Indra alleged.

Pinging noise filled the air, and BaoShiro was pelted with rapid beam shots. Inside the White Tiger mech's cockpit, which was a blue spacious compartment similar to SolAka, stood Torahiko embracing himself. He trembled and cringed at the force that was assaulting his senses. Even though it felt like the beams from Gajavar's trunk panged his body, he was in one piece.

"I told you that this is the strongman of the  _Shintennou_. I, Indra, will see to it that every thought you have of winning will vanish!" Announced the General.

But regardless, regardless of the words and his ineffective punch to Gajavar's head, Torahiko rushed again. The tiger mech bared its fangs and dashed against the beams. Torahiko wasn't a thinker; when his anger and spirit was at its peak, he did not intake words. Against a soldier, against a General, or even an army of Asuras, he was a man of the frontlines and valor was above all. When it was, he believed that he could beat anything even if it meant his death. However, he didn't think of dying; already, because of his will to win, he was completely oblivious to the pain from the beam shots that licked BaoShiro. He quickly covered the distance between him and Indra.

The energy shots halted. BaoShiro's hand tightly clenched the middle of Gajavar's trunk.

"No matter what, I'll destroy you!" said Torahiko, "How's this?" Bao pulled the trunk, leaned Gaja's head, and then rammed its knee in between the elephant's eyes. Gajavar bucked, its entire head swinging back, and abruptly down again as its belly received the brunt force of a foot.

"O-RAH!" Torahiko cried out more. The elephant staggered a few steps back; more attacks came its way without a moment to spare. There wouldn't be a chance to counter or take a breather.

"Shiro Lasers!" shouted Torahiko, the elephant in his sights. A socket in each of Baoshiro's shoulder guards glowed blue then unleashed thin streams of energy. Gajavar was slow as molasses; Torahiko's face furrowed as he watched his beams cruise towards the elephant. Not only energy seeped from Torahiko, but the beams barely impeded Gajavar. They singed the armor, but the portly white animal continued to slowly approached.

_Tch, I knew these stupid guns were terrible_ , Yuutsukasa thought.

Indra's hands press against the control levers, "You say that you want to kill me slowly, but so far you are not succeeding."

Gajavar's steps quicken a little and its hands meet against BaoShiro's. Torahiko groaned loudly, feeling his mecha's feet pushing across the sands. His actions were being inhibited; the elephant had the upper hand in physical strength, "I'll show you how a real soldier fights!" Indra said and pressed a button. BaoShiro's claws were freed but Gajavar's head shifted in closer.

" _Guh_!" Torahiko felt two pinches in his gut.

"A real soldier fights  _without_  mercy!" Then, a large light flickered between the machines. Louder than the chirr caused by the light was Torahiko's scream. For a few seconds, a new perpetual pain attacked his body. Gajavar pulled its head away and swung a punch at the tiger's face. Indra chuckled at the accomplished sight; Bao was on its back, limbs splayed out and smoke rising from its chest. Electric currents rub against Gajavar's long tusks.

"A bud! A rook! A child! What did you expect to achieve here?" The General began to gloat, "Your spirit is weak when you depend on nothing but words. It's a shame isn't it? That your planet's own natural resources are used to power my precious machine? Gajavar requires a lot of energy to function."

The elephant shambled over to the motionless BaoShiro.

"Yes," Indra continued, "it's hard to believe that so much power flows from the so-called 'Soul Gem'. I don't know why you're here but today's battle has ended – the same way it did like back on Shirei." His mech stopped and Indra found himself directly looking down at the tiger. His elephant was towering above BaoShiro. "You're worse than the Earth men here. Even though you know you're weak, you continue fighting against what you can't win against. If you don't think you're weak, you need to be reminded. From losing your home to now, how much shame will you accumulate until  _you_  understand?" Now even Indra's composure was starting to wither, his tone exuding irritation, "For defying the mission of His Imperial Highness," Gajavar raised one leg, the shadow of its foot covering Bao's head, "you will perish!" BaoShiro was about to get a deathblow reminiscent of Southern Asia back in the 16th or 17th century. Indra stepped down on a pedal, and the foot impacted.

But against expectations, Indra did not hear metal crack beneath him.

"I'm...I'm  _not_  weak!" He heard the voice of Torahiko.

"What?"

"You stupid talkative bastard, I'm NOT done yet!" Slowly but surely, Gajavar's boot began to elevate. It was grasped within BaoShiro's own claw which was pushing it back up "Didn't I tell you, that I won't stop until I kill you?" said the man that aspired to be Bao's torso flared light; like Aka, the tiger had a lustrous gem in its chest that seemed to glow when the pilot's emotions enkindled. Then the energy would be channeled into the right purpose. Hiori had her moments when backed into a corner by Yamikyo, and when she saw the JSAF soldiers almost get attacked after they motivated her. Now Torahiko, after feeling the (literally) shocking attack power from his nemesis, made him realize that he had to fight harder for both his sake and his kingdom's.

"H _aaaaaaaa_!" Torahiko jabbed out his arm and the heavy elephant mech of over two-hundred and fifty tons was pushed away. Bao rose on its feet and quickly bolted forward, which was an old reckless move already expected by Indra. With another  _kiai_  yell, Torahiko thrust out a punch with its left claw, which was easily caught by the damned elephant. Next, the right was waved upward, "NORTHERN CLAAAAAAW!"

Indra cringed for the first time in this battle, hearing metal screech like nails to a chalkboard. The front electrical camera briefly fizzled; the General inclined the two lower pedals below his feet with his heels, moving Gajavar back a few steps. Released, Bao backed away as well and raised its right arm.

"Now that's what I want to see!" Torahiko said enthusiastically. From his mecha's right hand were sickle-like claws, fully protracted from the tips of its fingers and laced with energy. Looking ahead, he could see slash marks across Gajavar's belly.

"See what? You are eternally far from defeating me! Your mouth is aggravating!" Indra was losing his cool at the cub.

"Hey Indra! Guess what? This happens to be strongman of SUJ units! It is the best in physical attacks, but it also has another interesting specialty."

"Do not get confident Yuutsukasa just because you managed to avoid death and scratch Gajavar's armor." Indra said.

"Now I'm going to show you one of Bao's greatest attacks!"

"Impudence!"

"Shut up! It is said that this attack never misses."

"Show me! So that I can show you how futile it is."

"Fine with me!" Bao's right hand closed, and the Sol Gem glowed once again. A blue energy materialized around its body, slid against the arm, and collected around the newly made fist. Gajavar kept still, folding its bulky arms around its chest.

"GLACIER!" At Torahiko's voice, the right arm of Bao began to tremble, steam rising out from the wrist. "SMAAAAAAAAASH!" And then the arm was without a hand.

It disconnected, soaring into the air like a rocket! The flame spurting behind it changed from red to blue past mid-way.

"Glacier Smash? Pathetic." Indra sounded hardly concerned and shifted the foot pedals to the right. Gajavar sidestepped, the rocket punch flying past the left ear.

"It missed!" The officer stated haughtily. The fist dropped right onto the sand after its flame went out.

"ARE YOU SURE MISTER GENERAL!" Torahiko called out, his tone still exuberant.

The mighty Glacier Smash did indeed miss, the tip of its blue exhaust flame only touching Gajavar's large ear without harm. The elephant took a step forward, preparing to advance, "Enough! It is time to—" Indra paused. He was not hit, he knew that, but there was interference again from the front camera. The General was completely astounded; clearly, one half of the screen was being covered by a spiny crystallized substance. Stretching across Gajavar's face, including one eye, it took away half of Indra's field of vision.

"Wh-what's this?" The General's tone easily reflected how he felt. Torahiko laughed, "The attack that never misses, Glacier Smash! The other specialty of BaoShiro is freezing, the opposite of SolAka."

"You mean, this is ice?"

"Actually, it is your armor being super-cooled."

"From what?"

"The military science mooks said it's from the blue cold flame from behind the rocket punch."

"Cold flame? That's impossible! It should not have been able to fly either!"

"Look General High-and-Mighty, I'm not into following such tough details. All I know that it has to do with the Soul Gem phenomenon! I'd go ask and come back to you with answers, but that will not matter to you. Indra of Shenbu, you're going to die today! Right here in America!"

"Phenomenon..." Indra mumbled low, furrowing his face. The amazing Shirei-birthed material commonly known as the "Soul Beast Gem" continued to uncover its many bizarre secrets to both warring forces. No matter how many times the Generals and their subordinates heckled the mechanical Staff of Shirei, and even the Chief Technician Gon Juuhei for answers, they couldn't fully fathom it. All they knew that it was a crystallized mineral unearthed years ago and that it radiated intense power. It had been the main power source for the STN and SUJ mobile units.

_"Intensity? Intensify?"_  Indra thought, and quickly resumed fighting. If the pesky tiger hit the affected area, Gaja's face may break or deform big time.

The elephant leaned its head to the left; even with one arm, BaoShiro punched at Gajavar's only visible eye. Indra flinched at the white fist slamming into his half-covered camera view. He did not panic and pressed a button like before, pushing his controls levers.

"You're still a rook! I will show you!" Electrical energy galvanize back to life across Gajavar's horns. The elephant reared its head back to impale Bao again, but the tiger backed away in time and disappeared from Indra's line of sight. Gaja spun completely around and Bao appeared, with its right claw reattached.

"This shall finish you Indra!" The tiger reached over its shoulder and leaped forward. Flaps on its back open and unleash exhaust flames, accelerating the tiger towards its foe like a jet.

"Not on your life Byakko runt!" The elephant, with its tusks charged, fearlessly met the charge head on.

A flash of light appeared in between them once again.

" _OORYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!_ " But this time, Torahiko screamed out spiritually. There was no pain in his body; "Interesting..." In his cockpit, Indra was shaking from the force of his tusks being pushed back. At the tips of Gaja's teeth was an elongated piece of steel. The two back away from each other and Indra finally had a clearer view on what stopped his mech's Spark Tusks, "A sword!"

Indeed!

In BaoShiro's right hand was probably the super robot equivalent to an  _oodachi_  (Japanese sword with a blade that could be over five and a half feetlong). Its blade was pristine white.

"Behold murderous General! My  _Yamazantou_! (山斬刀)" proclaimed Torahiko, "It has resisted against your electricity. And damnit, stop being persistent!"

"That's my line scum!" Indra squeezed a trigger on one his levers and six rockets flew out of its  _dhoti_  armor.

"Gwaaah!" Bao jumped to the side, one warhead smashing open its leg. The tiger was knocked out of mid-air, hitting the ground ungracefully.

"What do you expect from a General, young Byakko?" The elephant reached back this time, "Enough of this. I guess I have been a little light on you, since BaoShiro's Soul Gem won't yield to me that easily. It is time that I show that you my  _own_  magnificent weapon." It would be the second time that Indra would try to reach for the sheathed tool behind Gaja's back.

_BOOM!_

And it would also be the second time that someone interfered before he could so.

"UMPH!" Indra grunted. As if by karma, Gajavar was getting pummeled by explosive shells. The elephant shuddered from continuous strikes above. Covering its eye covered in crystal, it looked up to see a large white and gold ship.

Indra was in disbelief once again, "It can't be! That's—"

Like an injury, BaoShiro held its one leg with and managed to get up on one knee. It looked up and snarling at the ship, "Damnit! Why you, old lady! I had him!" the ungrateful Torahiko grumbled.

It was the Taiyoko.

"Prince Yuutsukasa, we're here to pick you up. Are you alright?" asked a young male voice through Torahiko's headphones, presumably a lowly crewman. Torahiko pressed a button on his headset and immediately raged, "I'm fine you lousy scum! Do not interfere with my fight! I must do this!"

"Sir?"

"The one in the elephant mecha is General Indra! He is the one I must destroy! If I don't, I won't be able to face Shirei, I would be restless. Because of him, my—"

Then suddenly, the familiar voice of an elderly woman entered, "Torahiko, we'd think you would have beaten him already."

"Don't provoke me Nechimoku!"

"That's enough. We received word that Hiori has won her fight."

"She did?"

"Yes, Japan is safe for now. So now we need to get Indra out of here and protect the base."

"I was getting to it until you interfered!"

"Torahiko, look out!"

During Yuutsukasa and Nechimoku's useless argument, something was lurching out of the American Hoshizawa base. The ground mobile units turned to see what it was, and it immediately stunned them. In Bao's cockpit, Hiko's jaw dropped.

Indra only narrowed his eyes, "So, you are finally going to show me your strength."

It was probably mankind's largest howitzer, painted in red, white and blue. No crew could be seen around it, and it was mounted on eight self-propelling legs to support its wide barrel. A Western-accented voice from the base stated the following: "Mobile mega cannon  _Ulysses_ , deployed. Charging finished, engaging T-minus five seconds!"

_Five_.

"Damnit!" Torahiko turned and moved his feet. BaoShiro bolted; now the muzzle was aimed directly at Gajavar.

_Four._

The elephant tightened the grip on its weapon and pulled its arm, but was assaulted by aerial fire from the Taiyoko again.

"Yeah! Take that your fiend!" Said a white uniform crewman manning a turreted 40mm pulse cannon.

A partner in an adjacent turret, "That's right, try something else and we'll shoot ya again! Second thought, we will!"

"Yeah, what the heck man! Blast him!"

A voice from the ship's intercom warned, "Incoming! ZD-32 Luo!"

_Three. Two_.

As the Taiyoko was occupied, the assault on Gajavar halted and it gave him a chance to take out his weapon.

_One_.  _Zero!_

The large howitzer fired, and a large expanse of blinding light illuminated the High Desert.

* * *

Five seconds have passed since the rays crossed.

"General? General! Sir! This is Juizing."

When the light cleared, Gajavar was still standing and had sheathed its weapon. Indra rubbed his face with his hand, his eyes burning from directly looking into the light. Using his other hand, he pressed a button to open a com, "I am here."

"Oh thank goodness. Sir, we received orders from His Imperial Highness to retreat."

"Lord Emperor?"

"Yes, he said that the space units are leaving orbit and that all forces must regroup in Shanxi, China where General Aditi is. She and General Aryaman have succeeded in their tasks. To facilitate retreat, the carrier has deployed the Luo to distract the enemy units. We will assist as well."

"Status on the carrier?"

"The carrier took a hit and managed to avoid a serious crash. The crew said that it can try to make it to China, albeit slowly. Please board it General."

"Very well." Indra turned off the com and pushed forward the levers and pedals. Beneath its dhoti armor, the elephant's somewhat enclosed legs were functioning at double power, and the steps rose and fell at quicker speeds. Only one arm motioned for balance; the other one, its right, hung limp and was smoking from damage. Despite that, the elephant mecha hurried towards the grounded carrier.

Even after the radiant blast, gunfire continued. The Taiyoko was being swarmed by fighter aircraft and the BaoShiro was getting thrashed around by explosions from the battleship. It would dodge out of the way or even shoot down the missiles but the shockwaves from the blasts and the missile shrapnel was subduing its movement.

"INDRA! !" Torahiko screamed in fury, holding his leg. The shrapnel sprayed against his mech's body almost harmlessly, but some caught itself in the hole made by Gaja's rocket and it sent a biting sensation up Hiko's leg. He quite noticed his nemesis was running away and the stupid air forces wouldn't let the tiger give chase. "Come back here Indra! INDRA! ! !"

Moments later, the battle of San Bernadino finally died and the Shenbu warships followed by aircraft took off high into the stratosphere. The Taiyoko landed and was immediately approached by a group of men marching from the base.

The American Hoshizawa base had a hole blown through it, the damage reaching even to the back of the structure. And the  _Ulysses_ itself had been sliced in half.


	11. Shared Resolution! The Shirei & Earth Alliance

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hiori awakens at the Hoshizawa HQ in Minato, Japan, where she meets the Hoshizawa Grand Five. The rest of the Shenbu Armada lands in China. It was time for Earth to pick its ally.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Now we have the "Super Sentai-like" group. There's a lot of Japanese and Otaku jokes. 
> 
> Like "Niji". Niji stands for rainbow (虹) in Japanese. Hiori makes fun of their outfits. Kazuya is an otaku.

_Hiori and Torahiko subdue the Dark and the Storm respectively._

_While the two are weary, Shenbu pierces through the battlefield and Earth must unite with a new friend._

* * *

 

The last thing Princess Hiori had saw before closing her eyes was a Shenbu battleship. Her body wretched with pain from every hit SolAka received from the ship's cannons. Then, she slipped into unconsciousness. After she did, a dream occurred; unidentifiable silhouettes in different postures, such as two people leaning against each other and someone bowing before a man with a long beard, flash before her.

"Stand up." An echoing, low voice filled with regality spoke out.

"What?" Hiori looked side to side to find the source of the voice. There was no face to be found, and the voice reached her from all sides.

"Your flame of justice has yet to extinguish. Don't let the fate of the Earth fall into the Emperor's hands. Wake up."

"W-who are you?" Hiori asked with perplexity in her tone. She could only tell that whoever was out there sounded like a man.

Before an answer was given, the dream's atmosphere was swallowed with light. Hiori heard a few final words,

"I have faith in you."

"Unn..."

The princess groaned as life began to reenter her body. Her eyes slowly parted, and her first view was an assembly of unfamiliar faces surrounding her. The upper half of her body jolted up and she let out a surprised shriek that caused the group of people to scamper backwards. Hiori was lying in a bed; she froze for a few seconds, groaned again, and then grabbed her head. It rattled with a migraine, which hindered her senses. The people around her quietly watched until—

"'cuse us! 'cuse us!" A voice of a young man was heard.

Another voice of military authority, in contrast to the other, replied,

"Warrant officer Hoshizawa, please keep it down. She has just awakened."

" _Warrant officer? I am in a military base?_ " Hiori thought; recognizing one of the voices, Hiori turned her head and saw all but one person make way for a group of four men and one woman.

"Well done." The person with the authoritative voice said as the five approached him. One of the five, a smiling kid with unkempt black hair, was in the lead with his arms across his chest.

"Wish we got here sooner Colonel Asahikawa. I wanted a chance against that giant black block! But now it's totaled." The young man said in disappointment. He and the other four were unlike the others in terms of uniform. Now that her senses were balanced, Hiori clearly saw that she was around members of the Self-Defense Force, but the five that had arrived wore tight body suits of different colors.

" _Somehow, this looks familiar_ ," she thought, biting down on her lower lip nervously.

"Hi! You must be that Princess in the big bird mecha." The energetic young man, who wore a red bodysuit, was the most upfront about meeting Hiori. He wasted no time running past everyone to get to the side of her bed.

"Hoshizawa! I said she has just awakened." Asahikawa placed his hand on the red suit kid's shoulder and lightly pushed him away.

Hiori looked up at the man with the familiar voice, "Asahikawa, now I remember, you're the one who—"

"Yes," He replied before Hiori finished, "I'm the one who told you to fight. You saved my unit and I thank you."

"Lieutenant Colonel, yes I remember. Where am I?" Hiori asked groggily.

"You are at the Hoshizawa HQ in Minato, Tokyo." The officer merely answered.

"Hoshizawa..." Hiori frowned, and then asked the Lt Col. "Are you going to question me?"

"Now does not seem to be the time for that because you seem exhausted. You were passed out for hours after your battle." He said, "It seems that Earth is going to face a powerful enemy and we like to figure out a way to face it. From what we can tell, you're on our side."

"Yes, it does make sense to communicate with you." Hiori said.

"We'd like to make this comfortable for you as possible." Asahikawa begged calmly.

Hiori pushed her fingers against her head, closed her eyes, and regressed to her thoughts.

" _Even though I'm supposed to be a queen, I still feel like I lack leadership. Master, what should I do? Mother, what would you have done?"_

The princess would hold her tongue for a while. General Yami might've retreated, but the invasion was just beginning. Hearing the word "questioning", Hiori predicted a drawn out process. She imagined herself in a room with an inquisitor who craved to extract all of the answers from her pertaining to the situation. Everyone at Hoshizawa HQ, all strangers, would want to know who she was and where she came from, what was SolAka, how to defeat Yang, etc. There was also the chance of her words being picked up by the news media and spread globally.

The people of Earth would want to protect themselves by all means, but Hiori felt negative, and didn't have the nerve to tell them that they were useless against Yang. Saying such would make it look like she was assured of their defeat if they took a single step towards counterign the Emperor's extraterrestrial military. But at the same time, she didn't want to say that they should back down and let her and the rest of the Shirei refugees fight on their own. She couldn't tell them to stay and let their precious planet be attacked.

Hiori believed that there was the strong spirit of perseverance within Earth.

* * *

Back in America, in the deserts of San Bernadino, the Taiyoko crew met up with the crew of the Hoshizawa American Branch HQ. They were greeted without hostility; inside a briefing room, Toriko Nechimoku and others were having an open discussion with logistics specialists and staff members.

A fist slammed down onto a table.

"Old woman! We can't just tell them about BaoShiro!" Torahiko contended, who had his white tiger mecha rolled into a maintenance facility.

"You're not the tactical genius here, Torahiko. You may have caused Indra to flee, but the fight here on Earth has still just begun. Also, our options are still limited."

"Damn this!" The future Byakkyo king rose from his seat and stormed out.

Toriko shook his head and looked over to a blonde haired man with glasses, "I apologize. Forgive his hard-headedness, Mr. Glass. We had really difficult times with Emperor Yang before his arrival here on Earth."

"I can understand his concern. You said that you guys work with the military on your home planet. Normally, this wouldn't be acceptable, but I think we can extend hands here since this is very serious. As for the Ulysses Cannon, it should be repaired in a matter of days." Said Ian Glass, the President of the American Branch. One conversation between America and Shirei's rebel team, mainly Glass and Nechimoku respectively, would lead towards a significant alliance.

Meanwhile, as diplomacy happened, Torahiko headed for the hangar where BaoShiro was stored.

"How do we know that the Earth men won't use our knowledge for the wrong things? What can they do for us? If BaoShiro got damaged, they probably wouldn't be able to fix it." He grumbled. Perhaps there was too much individually, and mistrust, from Torahiko. To him, talking meant working things out easier during serious situations. Talking was mostly associated to various things: surrendering, ceasefire, armistice, treaty, exchanges.

"This is their planet. We revealed ourselves and we shouldn't make another enemy. I think it's good to explain who we are and what we know. Perhaps it's true that they'll struggle against Yang, but after being here long enough, I feel that they'll have a chance. Even if taking on the Generals' super mecha will just be both Shirei and Hoshizawa's responsibility." Toriko had said.

Torahiko disliked feeling desperate and in contrast to Hiori, although they both contained strong wills, Torahiko reacted angrily. He moved on pure one-hundred percent certitude, not by a probability, that he'd win, and he wanted everyone around him to think like that.

The Byakkyo prince entered through the wide door of the hangar and halted. His beloved BaoShiro was meters ahead of him, but he did not approach hastily. Someone was already there looking up the tiger mecha. Hiko faced the person's backside; it wasn't a member of the HQ crew, but someone with long white hair.

The prince held his mouth open for countless seconds before whispering,

"Ginshiro..." Closing his mouth, his sharp teeth clinched together.

* * *

In Japan, there was a gathering in a conference room.

"Emperor Yang is the leader of the Deva Dynasty, which rules the planet Shenbu."

No one could avert their attention from the presence of Hiori Soratoga, especially the five in the colored bodysuits. The one in the red suit probably never blinked his eyes.

Hiori looked exactly like how she was addressed – a princess, regal and beautiful. Aside from Western-like (or maybe anime character like) physical characteristics, she looked very human. She had the thin figure, delicate voice, and soft countenance of a young woman. In addition, having green eyes and long red hair, it was like the season of Spring was in her features. Her clothes were probably the most peculiar. It could be best described as a red mess dress. She wore a hip-length jacket with a tall collar and gold facings running down each long sleeve. Small emeralds, cut like octagons, form over the front like buttons. She wore both a pair of trousers and a skirt, the latter with a split on both the front and the back to form flowing tails. Over her waist was a wide gold sash, and over her hands were red leather gauntlets with guards. She also wore long diamond-shaped shin guards, and sandals. Lastly, a white scarf edged with black red, green, yellow stripes was wrapped around her neck.

"Yang orchestrated this invasion because of his dying planet. Intelligence described it like a flower: withering away like it lacked days of water, as if a gardener was incredibly negligent. It's drying up and no one knows why."

"Probably something in the atmosphere. Radioactivity." One of the men in the "Color Suit Five" said. He wore a blue bodysuit and had long jet black hair. He was taller than the red suit kid, who was standing close by with his arms folded.

"Me, don't think too hard on it Daigo. We always hear about the End of the World; Shenbu probably won't get better at all." Red Suit said. Hiori took a quick break in any other explanations to acknowledge the guy in the red suit. Her inquisitiveness was getting the best of her and she couldn't help but wonder over something too silly for her to ignore.

"Um, sir?" She called to the Red Suit guy.

"What?" He answered.

"Are you like... _Nijiranger_?" Hiori asked with sincerity. Even though she looked serious about her question, or maybe rather naive, she hid a smile.

"W-w-w-what?" The kid's face twined and even the Princess had a finger pointed at her in derision. Hiori blinked her eyes at the irate facial impression, her mouth curving. The smile partially emerged.

"No! We're not Super Sentai! I'm not Niji Red! Everybody! Introduction!"

At Red's command, the five quickly formed a row in front of Hiori. They began from left to right, starting with the blue suit man with the long black hair.

"I am Grand Blue, my name is Daigo Shinyama (新山 大語). Nice to meet you." He said, saluting.

Next to Daigo was a large bald man flexing his muscles. He wore a yellow suit, "I like to think I'm Gold, but I'm wearing yellow. Heiji Horukawa (堀川 平二), the strongarm!"

The guy in red was next, but he was skipped. Hiori looked to the right of him, and there was at the shortest of the five. He was a teenager in a green suit.

"Spring Green! Ken Nakamura (中村 剣) ! I'm Heiji's junior!" He said, bending his body back into a flip.

Right next to Ken was the only female of the team, who wore pink. She was a young lady with curled brown hair and pink lips.

"I am Keiko Sakakihara (榊原 恵子) . It is nice to meet you, " She spoke with gentleness and bowed. Then finally, Red Suit spoke, raising a fist in the air.

"Annnnnd I am the courageous Grand leader in red, Kazuya Hoshizawa (普仕沢 和也)! And together, we are—"

Next, they spoke in unison,

"Hoshizawa Grand V (five)!"

"We saved you!" Kazuya said.

Hiori was speechless. She couldn't help but think,  _"Comic book team..."_  All five clearly fit the typical specifications of an action robot comic or a super sentai show: The fiery leader, the cool-headed rival, the big guy, the goofy and innocent youth, and the only female member (the heroine).

Despite the Five's silly execution of acquainting, it wouldn't take long for the alien princess to get over her shock.

"So you're them," She said, giving out a few nods. In truth, the Grand Five were well known in Japan. They were the current generation of pilots for the Hoshizawa Association's mechs. Kazuya broke from the line and walked up to Hiori with a smile.

"By the sounds of it, you seemed to know plenty about Japan Princess. How come?" He asked.

"Well uh—" Hiori started slow, her thoughts still twisted over on what to reveal, but Kazuya easily had a conjecture. His idea was indicated by the raising of his finger.

"I know! You were sent here as a baby." He said, "You were from Mars or maybe one of the Outer Planets. Your family died, and you and SolAka were sent here years ago in secret. When you grew up, you became SolAka's pilot and began to fight evil."

There was a sigh behind Kazuya and Hiori.

"She is not a comic book character." Daigo interrupted in his cool voice.

Kazuya turned his head and gave his blue suit partner a scowl. "Stop ruining my fun Shinyama! And it's not like it's entirely impossible."

When Kazuya looked back at Hiori, his facial expression changed from annoyed to one filled with concern. Hiori's head was sloped, and she looked melancholy.

"Hey hey, what's wrong?" Kazuya asked.

Hiori's voice held an undertone of sorrow as she answered, "Many terrible things happened on Shirei before I left it."

Daigo, Ken, Heiji, and Keiko moved in closer, then Hiori continued, "I have a family but they're war casualties. My father, and many of my tribe, was enslaved. My mother, who was like a queen regent, perished. During a battle, she was wounded and taken away. "

She paused, her eyes squeezing close, as did her hands, "Taken away after protecting me from..."

Under suspense, the Grand Five leaned in closer with their heads. Hiori, without noticing them, continued,

"The one who piloted the black mecha who attacked here earlier today. The General of Darkness, Yami. I was—"

"That damned pilot of the black block!" Again, the princess was interrupted. The yell caused Hiori's body to jump, her eyelids flying open. She raised her head to see a disgruntled looking Kazuya. The other four had backed away.

The Grand Red leader lifted a fist into the air once again, "I'm burning up now. Princess, we the Grand Five will do whatever it takes to help you win!"

Hiori placed a hand onto her forehead and gave out a soft smile.  _"Goodness. No matter what, I'll be around someone who's loud and passionate. He's like Torahiko, but a bit nicer."_

She thought, before saying openly, "Thank you." The Grand Five formed back into a row again and nodded their heads, which was easily returned by Hiori's own nod.

"Grand Five, I have a couple of requests. I'd like to know where SolAka is, plus—"

"New World-wide Transmission!" Before Hiori could finish her sentence, she was cut off again, but by a wholly different voice. Everyone turned to the room exit, seeing a man in uniform rush in, "Airspace of China! It's the Emperor!"

"What?" Kazuya exclaimed. The Grand Five scrambled past the man and were out the door. Hiori fell slightly behind but also rushed with urgency. She could only wonder over one thing, and that was what her loathed nemesis had planned.

* * *

Everyone arrived in a big lit room that seemed to be a Master Control center. Inside, a wide TV screen (simply called the MS or Main Screen) surrounded by smaller ones was fit into a wall, and pervading the area were control panels and tables lined with flat monitors and keyboards. Many people, including Hiori and the Grand Five stood in front of the MS. Upon it was the familiar face of Emperor Yang.

"Guh! I've seen his mug enough this morning!" Kazuya complained, but everyone else was silent with the strong intent to listen. It was like the Emperor's placid brown eyes, filled with pomposity, pierced through the TV and compelled everyone to open their ears.

"Dear Earth, how did like the performance of my Four Divine Generals?" He began, smug as usual, "You have proven as per expectations. My armada has descended on the country of China, where one of my Generals has taken a base after defeating its forces. That is where I will stay to set up the next of my plans. However, there seems to be some  _interference_."

Hearing that, Hiori grimaced at the Emperor. Yang continued,

"I wasn't expecting for the escapees from Shirei to appear. This was quite a surprise. So, this whole time, you were hiding on Earth. Shame on you; do you think that that you stand a chance against me now? My ambition to save my planet is stronger than your feelings of retribution, but who can stop you? You are welcome to try and battle."

"Who does that guy think he is?" jeered Kazuya.

"That guy is a tyrant. He'll do anything to rule our world," Daigo said.

"He's treating us like we're inferior. We don't live in a world of aristocracy. " said Heiji, who is immediately followed up by a simple word by Ken.

"Yeah! He's puffing his chest out!" said the junior in the green suit.

"No matter.' Yang continued. "At this point on, global conquest comes closer. You are welcome to come to China and face me, but be warned, drastic consequences will happen. I do not wish to destroy anyone or anything that would prove useful to my planet's survival, but meddling will not be allowed. What I find crucial to survival is the capture of the global Hoshizawa bases and their hi-tech resources, and the completion of the  _Akirakamon_. That is my goal. With my monarch in place here, on a new fresh planet, the safety of Earth and Shenbu will be assured."

Keiko looked uneasy, her hands clasped together as she looked up at the main screen, "Princess Soratoga said that his planet looks terrible so now he wants to plant his rule elsewhere." She said.

Having words on her own, Hiori began in a low tone, "I wish—" then, she raised her voice.

"I wish you could  **hear**  me!" Next, she had a finger pointing at Yang's face upon the screen. The Grand Five and everyone else glanced over to her, seeing a change in her soft countenance. In comparison to before, she looked completely irate.

"You low-life! How dare you talk like you can predict the future? I won't let you take this planet and use it as you please!" She declared.

* * *

Emperor Yang was sitting comfortably in his chair. Through the bridge's front windows, which were built to provide a one-hundred degree view and equipped with CVS (clear view screen) fans, he saw his remaining battleships, destroyers, and carriers. R&D Director Hsienlong Yan and Operations Officer Hao Lin stood next to Yang quietly.

"So, the heirs of the Yuutsukasa and Soratoga families fled to Earth. I knew that the Taiyoko ship escaped Shenbu, and with it taking two of the SUJ units that ravaged some of our forces." The Emperor said, rubbing his chin.

A smile formed, then he disclosed a wonder that he had,"They didn't have much choice I suppose. This will give the Generals a second chance to destroy them, but what I like to know is, are the pilots of the SUJ units skillful?"

"My Lord?" Both Director Yan and Officer Hao called.

Setting his elbow onto his chair's armrest , Yang leaned his cheek into his hand,

"I only know of the previous SolAka pilot, who the former queen of the Ho-ou tribe. Oh how troublesome she was, that Tobuhime. The success of weapon technology has to do with how it's built and how it's handled. However, in this case with the SUJ units, applied with Soul Gems, 'skill' has to do with not just military experience but perhaps something to do with the pilot's feelings as well. That's what we were told after taking Kamiyon." The Emperor said calmly.

"The engineering crew at Kamiyon officially calls it ' _névmakite'_ , but it's commonly called the 'Soul Beast Gem' since it primarily powers the SUJ units. It has been said that touching stones effects your mood or your nervous system. Stones exist everywhere and can maintain or be touched by various kinds of elements such as carbon, gas, and the sun's heat. The funny thing is that it's not necessary to burn the Soul gem; in fact, it is very difficult to burn. They also have a very high skeleton. Not much is understood about it." Hao exclaimed.

"Raw, unlimited power of high density it seems." Yang said. "Poor Tobuhime. She wouldn't have died if she cooperated and told us more about SolAka. It is an amazing machine."

"The gem is a real exotic mineral." Hao remarked with a smile.

"Which is why I want to test it further." Director Yan declared.

"Hseinlong, later I want you to show me this device that you've created," Yang's order was followed up with a question, "also, are you sure that  _it_  can perform the task given?"

"Yes my Lord. Its energy level should be high enough. General Yami said that the Yamikyo was impaled and it exploded internally. Most likely its fundamental circuits are damaged beyond repair. We have data for its main frame," Yan replied with a nod of his head.

* * *

Hours have passed since Yang's last message. It was past midnight and the Taiyoko has yet to return to Japan. She was told that the attack in America was thwarted, but Hiori remained worried over the safety of her Master, Torahiko, and the rest of the rebel crew. That also included the fighter pilots in space. In addition, there were also her elementary school students. Had Yami continued on with her attack, Tokyo would've sustained more damage. Hiori couldn't leave Hoshizawa HQ and she most likely couldn't return to being a teacher now that Yang was on Earth. If Japan was attacked again, how would she be able to balance between fighting and teaching?

In the HQ's hangar, the Princess silently watched as a maintenance crew work on SolAka and five other vehicles. No one took a break to acknowledge her; she was in a pensive mood over her burdens.

"HEY!" A familiar voice called from behind Hiori. Turning, she saw Kazuya walk up to her.

"You're up late, what's up?" Asked the Grand Five leader.

"I— _oof_!" Hiori parted her mouth to speak, but her words were caught in her throat as she felt a slap against her back,

"Aw, don't you worry! SolAka will be fine," Kazuya reassured, "she just need some sanding and putty! A-OK! The only problem I see is the replacement of the missiles."

Hiori responded with a simple smile, which was enough to make Kazuya laugh. Whether it was day or night, it was like his enthusiasm would never drop.

"Aka's quite tough! It had holes from being impaled, but just dents from other attacks. This is a real Super Robot, invisible to standard weapons! Just like how we science freaks often envisioned it. I'd like to see this mecha in action much more in the future." He said.

"Kazuya?" Hiori called softly.

"Huh?" The Grand V leader merely replied.

"I thank you for your help. At first, I didn't want you to fight. After seeing the Self Defense Force being beaten, I felt like Earth was too powerless. And, I'm sorry for that." The Princess confessed, her voice filled with regret. Her eyes turned up to SolAka and her smile went away. Her hands rose up to her face; she was further showing how much the commitments that she loaded onto her heart was affecting her.

Kazuya quietly listened as she continued,

"I hate seeing people suffer. Perhaps my sense of responsibility is too strong and I centered it all upon myself. Even now, I still feel like fleeing my planet was shameful. I knew that my safety, Torahiko's, and the SUJ units was important, and I predicted that I would return to Shirei to fight back; but as days, weeks, months passed on Earth, I grew impatient. It was like I wasn't equal, I was too valuable to fall into enemy hands, and I wasn't allowed to bear the pain with everyone else...just like mother. I asked myself, 'would everyone forgive me' and 'would there be anything left for me', if I returned to Shirei? People were being enslaved against their will and I hated it, but still I held onto faith."

"That's alright Princess! All alright! Don't frustrate yourself. I think talking about the past lowers your mood." Kazuya said without dejection. Hiori looked at him as he spoke, blinking her eyes. Did he even listen?

The red suit leader was beaming widely, and he gave Hiori a thumbs up,

"That tough hold you have on faith, keep it! Since you are a noble, not only should you believe in yourself, but also in your comrades. The people! Since we're friends now, that means you should believe in us too! We're going to beat that Yang guy and save both planets! No tyrant is going to take us out easily." He said with confidence.

Hiori eyed Hoshizawa again and her smile returned, "Thank you, I feel better. Now, I can look nowhere else but forward." She said.

"Yeah, sometimes it's good to just spill your guts out. Young people are like that because we get confused so easily. I thought that crap would leave me after passing eighteen years of age, but here I am at unwise and crazy twenty-three," Kazuya joked.

Suddenly there was a loud crash and a rumble. The lights within the hangar abruptly shut off, and in its place the alarms blared. Words of bewilderment could be heard from the maintenance crew. Before long, the auxiliary power kicked in and revived the lights.

Kazuya raised his hands high and said, "I'm not lying..." Hiori looked at him, confused.

"Mr. Hoshizawa! SNAKE!" A woman shrieked,

The attention of both Hiori and Kazuya were easily captured by the panicking voice. They look to see a Western-looking blonde woman in a lab coat rushing towards them—in high-heeled shoes.

"Oh, hello Miss Mari," Kazuya greeted casually.

"It's a snake!" She said again.

"Snake?" Kazuya repeated, "Like a pet? I don't have a snake. Or are you saying that  _someone_  snuck into our base?"

Arms, head, the woman probably shook  _everything_  above her waist, and it was enough to indicate how urgent the situation was, "NO NO doofus! A snake! It's attacking the base!" The Western woman said. Hiori and Kazuya raised their eyebrows, which pushed Mari to further clarify herself, after a few breathes that is,

"According to camera footage, a giant flying snake is attacking HQ. It just ripped through Hangar C. The black mecha that we picked up for examination just exploded and now the snake is causing destruction!" She said.

"Wait a minute! Yamikyo has been destroyed?" Hiori said, her eyes widening with surprise.

"Yes, the snake attacked it." Mari said.

It was like with an aim; a giant snake came out of nowhere and attacked, provoking the World's only anti-paranormal force so that a destined battle could commence. Naturally The Grand Five with Hiori would deploy to put down the threat, but they would soon realize that it had the raging appetite to face SolAka...

And that it was no pushover.

The snake was struck by the same claws that even defeated the Black Iron Giant Yamikyo, but its scales closed over the wounds.

What was the flying snake and what was its purpose?

A deep combination of friends would be the key to winning.

* * *

( **Next chapter**  is an enriched, more defined battle, plus combination [or  _gattai_ ] scene with Grand V.)


	12. Wicked scales in flight?! Magnificent flying serpent Yuchi!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> One of Hsienlong Yan's experiments attacks the Hoshizawa base, a winged snake called Yuchi. It turns out to be be easy to contend with, but Hiori and the Grand Five learn that Yuchi can regenerate itself. The next morning, Yuchi attacks the base a second time. Grand Five combine their machines.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yuchi means "winged snake".
> 
> For Ken, I don't use Japanese unless its a particular item or title. When he says "mentor", you could interchange it with "senpai".

_Against the reality of nature, a serpenta endures its winged rival_

April 5th.

The people of Earth were barely into the second day of Yang's invasion. Relatively past midnight, Japan's Hoshizawa Headquarters quaked from a vicious force. Darkness consumed the HQ base; after a few seconds, auxiliary power restored the lights.

"It's a snake! It's attacking the base!" Mari, a blonde-haired staffer on the base, said to Hiori and the Grand V. After a jest from Kazuya, Mari further explained that a giant snake with wings had penetrated the base and destroyed the Yamikyo. Hiori furrowed her eyebrows.

"A snake?" She sounded confused, and took a short moment to gather her thoughts. Everyone fixed their eyes on her as if anticipating an answer.

"Oh no!" She cried. "The Emperor must have something to do with it!" Her voice held strong certainty; her mind immediately went to Earth's major antagonist. Alarms resound through the base, and a voice on an intercom announced, "Attention! Condition emergency! All available battle crew report to your positions! I repeat, condition emergency! "

"We have to stop it!" Hiori said as she clenched her hand into a fist.

"Come on guys! Let's take out this snake." Kazuya said to his teammates, who nod their heads. He then turned to Hiori and Mari, "We're heading out, so don't worry. Princess, let us fight with you." The Hoshizawa Five scrambled. Hiori looked up to SolAka.

"Wait!" Mari called. Her hand touched the Shirei princess's shoulder. "Are you sure it's alright for you to go? What about the damages? The combat efficiency?" She asked.

"It's alright. We can fight." Hiori softly answered with a nod. She reached into her trousers' pocket, and took out a circular bronze item. Quietly, Mari watched as Hiori rose the coin-like item over her head.

"Soul Bond!" Hiori shouted out. SolAka's eyes flash with life as if responding to its driver's voice. Mari continued to watch as an aura surrounded both the red bird mecha and Hiori.

"If you can believe it, you can do it. It is an overused phrase to keep you motivated, but it can be done." Hiori said. Her body entered a state of light, and she burst into the blue sphere of Solaka's torso like a comet. The phoenix's stone illuminated, and then its body began to move. Its gold wings splay outward. Mari moved out of the way, and SolAka took its steps towards the exit.

Moments later, three aircraft, two AFVs (armored fighting vehicles), and SolAka launched from the Hoshizawa base.

"What is that thing?" Kazuya asked via radio transmission as he piloted his jet.

"I've never seen anything like it." Hiori said.

"Gathering data now." Keiko said. She ascended her aircraft, the V Falcon, above the others, making distance to sharply follow the monster's movements. Using a TARPS (Tactical Airborne Reconnaissance Pod System) under her plane's fuselage, Keiko transmitted footage to one of her cockpit's display screens. What had destroyed Yamikyo was indeed a giant serpent. The night couldn't conceal its long imposing body, which was a contrast to the tapering figure of its real life counterpart. Nor could the night conceal the feathery texture and shine of its large white wings. The winged python flew over the base in a ring.

"If this monster is truly from the Emperor, we will show him that Earth and Shirei's righteousness cannot wane." Hiori said. SolAka appeared at the height of the winged reptile to face it. The large flying snake flicked its forked tongue; without hesitation, its body whipped like a wave, and it hurled itself at the bird. Its jaws part open.

"Watch out Princess! Show it that you're not lunch!" Kazuya yelled.

"Guh!" Hiori raised her arms; in response, SolAka's claws catch both the upper and lower jaw. The snake flapped its wings and weaved its body frantically. It was so close that Hiori could stare into the pit of its mouth. Hiori felt a force pushing against her hands; the snake struggled to free its jaws from Solaka's clutches. They widen; Hiori felt her arms pulling back. She looked up, and the pink interior of the snake's mouth was right above her head.

"Look out! Yamato-1 engaging, jet laser!" Kazuya closed in from above and squeezed the trigger of his centre stick. Energy rays fire out his jet's nose. Photonic bursts light the air from impact; the serpent continued its tenacious attempt to eat SolAka, unfazed by the attacks.

"Looks like we got to hit it together. Slam it!" Kazuya said.

"This is Yamato-3, cannon, fire!" Heiji cried.

"Yamato-4. Machine gun, fire!" Ken said. On the ground, driving their wheeled armored vehicles in synchronization with one another, Heiji and Ken aim and fire their weapons. Ken's V Car had two long-barreled machine guns installed on pintle mounts; Heiji's V Tank was armed with a turreted 160mm cannon. Together, they pummeled the snake with both a high rate of fire and high explosive damage.

"Yamato-5, deploying the Flyer Bombs Type G! Targeting the mid-section. Locked!" Flying overhead at an altitude above the rest, Sakakihara pressed a switch and opened a bay underneath her aircraft. She considered the safety of the city and SolAka, hopefully minimum to no damage, and released a nominal amount of oval-shaped bombs from the bay. Only four land on the winged serpent, bursting into shockwaves. The attacks from Ken, Heiji, and Keiko caused the serpent to recoil.

"Damage confirmed!" Keiko said. Using her TARPS, she zoomed in on the snake as it stalled. Tears were seen around its body; the serpent fixed its eyes on Solaka, flicking its tongue. Its body touched the ground.

"What are you? Where did you come from?" Hiori asked. The scaled beast lunged forward again, spun around, and crashed its tail into SolAka. Hiori screamed as she felt the heavy pressure of twined muscle and bone hitting her, seizing her body with pain. SolAka flew backwards, and right into a building complex. The snake followed and opened its jaws again.

"Take this!" Kazuya's V-Jet rushed in.

"This is V-Strike. Yamato-2 is attacking." Approaching at a slow speed was Daigo's aircraft. Its two large engines were mounted onto each wing next to the fuselage. Daigo squeezed a trigger; a thundering sound rung out as the V-Strike fired only two bullets. They drive below the head of the target, and the serpent halted. In a couple of seconds, the beast arched violently and let out a screech. There was a ripping sound; even on its big body, the kinetic force of Daigo's spitzer bullets created long gashes from down its neck. It was evident on Keiko's camera.

"Hoshizawa, what are you doing?!" Daigo sounded panicked.

"Uwaaah!" Shouting, Kazuya accelerated his jet towards the snake's wings. Not a single shot was fired from him. The boa cried out again; Kazuya's jet rammed through one of the wings, its nose shredded through it.

"That was reckless Hoshizawa! You could've killed yourself." Daigo said. Kazuya let out a little laugh.

"No sweat! Each vehicle makes a part of Dai-Yamato after all. V-Jet can take some punishment." He said, smiling inside his cockpit. From the radio, he heard Shinyama sigh with annoyance. The winged snake raised its head, eying the V Jet. It gave out a threatening hiss, and opened its maw. A bright green beam was discharged.

"Kazuya!" Hiori shouted. Recovering from its crash, SolAka rushed towards the snake.

"Whoa!" Kazuya noticed a light from looking over his shoulder. There wasn't a targeted lock; he leaned his hand gripping the centre stick and rolled his plane to the right. The V Jet veered out of the way and the beam flicked past. Its loud radiance caught Kazuya's eye through the canopy, and his ship rocked from a force.

"Close one!" He said.

"Now's my chance! Nova Beam!" At Hiori's cry, SolAka's V-shaped crest shined with light and fired four energy bolts at the boa's exposed belly. They strike the snake, stunning it, and giving SolAka time to cover the distance between them.

"Sun Plumage!" SolAka leapt forward and brought its arm forward. The gold vane feathers around its wrist armor erect and spun, creating a visible funnel of air around its claw.

"GALE TALON!" Hiori screamed, and her phoenix buried its solar claw through the snake's snout with ease. The winged serpent raised an ear-piercing cry that howled across Tokyo and attested its demise. Its body dropped and became motionless.

"This is Yamato-5. The winged snake seems to be defeated." Keiko said.

"Thank goodness!" Kazuya said. The cheers of the Hoshizawa Grand V were heard through the radio.

"Alright, we did it. That didn't seem so hard." Heiji said.

"Yay! Mentor, I'd high-hive you, but we're in separate vehicles." Ken said.

SolAka stood by the motionless snake. After such a small struggle, everyone was left with a large amount of confusion. One again, Hiori couldn't help but wonder out loud over what the snake-bird hybrid was, and why it had destroyed Yamikyo. Kazuya criticized that it wasn't tough enough, despite it being able to destroy the Black Giant.

"If this creature was from the Emperor, then maybe it wanted to destroy the evidence." Daigo said. While Hiori and the boys of Grand V immerse themselves in their thoughts, Keiko contacted the base to relay that the target was down, and inquired on what to do with the snake.

"Sakakihara, this is Mari. If the creature is from the enemy, we should analyze it." She said.

"Miss Mari, maybe you should take a look at it too." Kazuya suggested.

"A snake has nothing to do with engineering. If it's not a machine, I shouldn't  _have_  to look at it." Mari emphasized, her voice teeming with tension.

Hiori bent her body; SolAka did the same and touched the scales. There was a low, vicious hiss; abruptly, the snake arced upward and lashed around.

"It's not over!" Hiori said, and SolAka pulled back to avoid the snake's vigorous thrashing. Jerking its body, the snake flapped its feathery appendages and took back into the air.

Hiori's eyes widened, "Oh no! It can—" Her words were then interrupted by Kazuya.

"Well isn't that typical?! Ok guys, we got the right thing for that snake. Let's combine!" He said. Before anything could be done, the snake took high into the dark sky. No one followed.

"This is Yamato-2, enemy has retired." Daigo said through the radio.

* * *

In San Francisco, California of the United States, The Taiyoko crew was brought in by the Hoshizawa American branch. Inside the hangar where the Baoshiro was stored, Torahiko grimaced at a white-haired man holding a cane, standing in front of the giant tiger machine.

"What are you doing here?" Torahiko asked in an abhorrent tone.

"I am just marveling over our great beast." The man referred to as Ginshirou replied.

"I hope that is  _all_  you're doing." Torahiko said.

Ginshirou let out a sigh, and with the future weighing on his mind, turned around to look at Torahiko, "You won't stop until you've defeated Indra, won't you? He wasn't aware of your presence here on Earth, and you managed to surprise him a little, but don't get overconfident." He said.

"What?!" Torahiko immediately bristled; Ginshirou looked at him with earnest eyes, and the elder's voice continued to speak in a justified tone, "You are still below the level of a General."

Hearing the words "below a General", Torahiko's body shook. He pointed a finger at the old man, "You! You're  _still_  talking down on me! You still talk like a traitor! Why can't you be respectful to your King?" He accused.

"Because I'm telling the truth!" By Ginshiro's words, Torahiko was put to silence.

"The purpose of the Royals is the justly serve the King. However, you just don't understand defeat, and that defeat doesn't always mean the end. You're too naïve for some reason."

"I will not accept shame!"

The two would only contend; in the end, Ginshirou left the hangar and his future king's bloated pride. He knew it was pointless to argue with someone who was too angry, but he was faithful that his words would eventually reach Torahiko.  _"Perhaps it is still too soon."_  He thought. A moment later, he met up with Nechimoku in a hallway.

"I'm sure he means well." She said, noticing the elderly Byakko's weary face. Ginshirou doesn't give her eye contact.

"It is difficult to preach to someone with intense ambitions. The kind of ambitions that defile his spirit. With these feelings, Baoshiro will not be able to develop." He said before walking away.

* * *

In China, Emperor Yang was sitting in his chair on the Jushan bridge. He crossed his fingers and rested them on his lap, sitting with a demure patience. Chief Technician Gon Juuhei stood next to his Emperor; from the clipboard in his hand, he read about their forces' activity in Japan.

"Yuchi destroyed the Yamikyo, but retreated into the ocean." He concluded his report. Yang nodded his head and looked over to a man in a lab coat.

"Tell me about your new experiment." He said.

Hsienlong pushed up his glasses and smiled, "It is a dream finally brought to life, and my love of nature has made it so. Using my _binimūtān_  machine, I was able to create the Yuchi (羽蛇; feather snake in Mandarin Chinese) from the cells of a boa and a marine bird. This was possible with combining the two creatures with shards of the Soul Gem."

Yang cocked his eyebrow, "The Soul Gem? What gave you that idea? Did you know that it would work? According to Hao, that gem is still a mystery to a lot of us." He said.

"To enforce our military, I've wanted to create this kind of experiment for a long time My Lord Emperor." Director Yan's voice and smile showed pride, "As for the Gem, or the  _névmakite_ , what we're aware of it now is that it is able to power the SUJ units and our STN units. Better understanding should probably come the more we study the SUJ units, but my theory is accelerated growth."

The Emperor didn't say another word, only narrowing his eyes. He frowned, and his face easily expressed curiosity. Director Yan continued, "When Yuchi was first created, it was of a small size. It grew enormously after it ate other life forms." Emperor Yang leaned his head towards his R&D Director. Inquisitive, he continued to listen; he eagerly wanted to know how Yan reached impossible odds in genetic diversity. He wanted to know more, but the talk was kept short. Yang knew it was one of the two experiments Hsienlong Yan had been ardently working on back at Shenbu.

"The perfect combination. Even now the snake can rival the Garuda." Yan said.

Yang smiled again and looked out of the Chinese wilderness via the bridge windows, "Now, my Yuichi, crush SolAka's ambition in between your coils." Yang smiled.

* * *

Back at the Hoshizawa HQ, an hour later after the snake attack, more analysis on SolAka was being performed.

"There is no active fuse so it's safe," Said Mari, who stood next to one of SolAka's missiles brought into the base. She looked up and down the missile, and jotted down notes in her notebook. Members of maintenance crew circled the weapon; the warhead was screwed open.

"Interesting piece of equipment. There is no detonator, but instead there are honeycombed shaped panels. The nose cap is quite sharp. I wonder what it is." She said.

"I know what it is –  _expensive_." The chin of Kazuya dropped onto a table as he looked through the screen of a laptop. He gave out a loud yawn; Hiori and the rest of the Grand V were gathered in a room, watching a transmitted live video of Mari in the hangar.

"A kinetic weapon that is powered by solar energy. The Shirei technicians could tell you more, but I was told that the warhead worked like the Gale Talon." Hiori said.

"So, it's an electric based weapon? I can't wait to learn more." Mari said with a smile.

"Miss Quail, how are SolAka's repairs?" Hiori asked.

"No need for concern. We can fill in the holes, buff the scratches, and massage some of the dents with what we have. Still, the Staff is puzzled by the armor."

"That doesn't surprise me at all." Hiori said, and she lowered her head. "If the Taiyoko crew were here, I'm sure they could help."

"Don't worry Princess, we're trying to get in contact with them. Apparently they're in California." Ken said.

Hiori sat in a chair next to the table and placed her hands on her knees. After Mari walked away from the camera, Kazuya perked up, "So Princess! How do you like Dai-Yamato V?" He asked.

"Excuse me?" Hiori looked at Kazuya confusingly.

Kazuya flailed his arms, "What!? You've seen it before, remember? Against the alien ships!" He said.

For a moment, Hiori paused to think back. After she downed Yamikyo, she remembered facing an assault ship. The gun shells pounded SolAka, riddling Hiori's body with pain. Before she slipped into unconsciousness, she remembered seeing that same assault ship being cut asunder.

"It was brief, but I remember seeing a giant machine with a sword." She said, cupping her chin with her hand.

"That's it! That's out Yamato!" Heiji said, pounding a hand against his chest.

"Yes!" Kazuya jumped up from his chair and balled his hands into fists, putting them together, "You see, it epitomizes the warrior soul of ancient samurai. We, as five pilots, combine to relay the spirit of loyalty to the Earth, to our fellow men. Together we dictate right from wrong!" All eyes were on Kazuya, except Daigo, who turned away feeling embarrassed. Kazuya's zest did not diminish.

"Yes, its sword cuts evil, its armor deflects the doubt that we can never win!" He said.

Hiori gave Kazuya a wry smile, "By the sounds of it, it's strong. Maybe that's why General Yami went after you. " She said.

"The Hoshizawa Association was designed as a precaution against monster attacks. At first, non-transformation machines were used. Then in the 1970s, combination type machines emerged and became popular. This concept is what the Dai Yamato is, five machines forming into one." Daigo explained.

"I do like the combination feature. That is very genius." Hiori said, nodding her head.

Kazuya let out a chuckle, "What? Well, I wouldn't call it genius. I mean, it makes things easier to store. How about SolAka? Is it created for high velocity? You did a cool claw attack that punched a hole through that bulky black giant!"

"Well, that—" Hiori paused.

"Now wait you guys," Daigo interfered, "What about the snake that attacked earlier?"

"Shinyama, why did you have to break in?!" Kazuya retorted.

"Let's get back to that snake. We reviewed the TARPS footage earlier and we haven't reached an answer. How do we beat something that can regenerate? Or rather, what makes it regenerate?" Daigo asked, folding his arms.

Shortly after the Yuchi retreated, and everyone returned to base, Hiori explained that she saw the snake's wounds simultaneously reform. It was right before it retreated; even the head, which was split in half by the Gale Talon, regenerated.

"There are large creatures on my planet, but I never seen such a thing before. I am very puzzled." She said.

"Yeah, we have been racking our brains over it. I want to sleep." Kazuya said.

"Seems to have used some kind of enhanced autotomy, or related to it." Mari said from the laptop. "However, there are a couple of errors to this idea." Hiori and the Grand V leaned closer to the monitor.

Mari continued, "Autotomy, a word that stands for 'self incision' is a defense mechanism for animals with limbs. An appendage, primarily a leg and a tail, can break off if seized by something. Many lizards are well known for the autotomic release of their tails, and even their own skin. This is used as an escape method. However, despite being in the reptile order, autotomy is not genetically present in snakes."

"Maybe it wasn't a snake at all, but a legless lizard. A glass snake!" Ken said, lifting up a finger. He sounded absolute certain with what he said.

"I gave you my thoughts so far. Since it is a winged snake, and a giant one at that, I probably shouldn't assume the usual logic. It wasn't entrapped in any way, and was able to regenerate any wound." Mari said, "Wings  _are_ appendages though. What a fascinating creature."

"I thought you didn't like snakes, Miss Mari." Kazuya smirked. Mari cleared her throat and walked away without responding.

"Yes, but what do we do against something that regenerates?"

"Keep attacking so it can't move anymore!" Kazuya suggested enthusiastically with a wide grin, "By the way, how is my Jet?"

"We'll have to repair it Kazuya. We've scanned radioactive material on the left wing." Mari said. Kazuya's face wrinkled like he couldn't believe what he heard, and he stifled his urge to repeat her words.

"You may have dodged that beam, but it may have rubbed onto the V Jet. Hopefully that snake won't return soon." Mari said.

"A snake with a radioactive attack and regeneration." Daigo sounded thoughtful. He rubbed his chin.

"That attack must've destroyed Yamikyo." Keiko said.

Mari nodded her head and explained, "Indeed. We also detected the same material over Yamikyo's remains, plus the hangar it was in. So now, the entire area is quite difficult to approach." Then her voice became morose, "Some of the crew lost their lives, others need to be isolated for treatment in the underground chambers."

As everyone listened, the ambience changed. That fierce absorption into a strategic talk was abruptly broken, and replaced by a feeling of sadness and failure. Hiori frowned, and then gritted her teeth. Anger began to well up inside, as did thoughts of the Earth people who suffered from the indiscriminate attack.

"No matter what, we have to stop that snake. We have to stop whatever the Emperor throws at us!" Her fighting spirit was easily regained.

* * *

The sun rose in Japan, and the streets of Minato were clustered with traffic pylons, truck-mounted cranes, and other service vehicles. Many eyes were on the scene; men in military uniform were present, filing reports on the damage sustained to the city from last night's attack. One building looked like it had a chunk of it unceremoniously torn off from a bombing (thanks to SolAka flying into it), but it was minor compared to the attack on the Hoshizawa base. The hangar that held Yamikyo was shredded from different corners, and some crew members, the ones who survived, were quarantined because they excreted radiation. The very floor looked melted.

Despite this, maintenance on the Grand V's vehicles and partially on SolAka was finished. It was fortunate, because Yuchi would return the same morning. Its long shadow covered the streets, impelling the crowd of people to look above. They cry out in panic; the day definitely unveiled its massive form. Men in uniform guide the civilians to safety, or at least out of the way.

Before SolAka and the Grand V sortie, Mari gave them some advice,

"Regeneration in living creatures is caused by cell-signaling neutrons inside the body. Genetic proteins repair the damage. My only suggestion is to destroy whatever regeneration cells it has by using Dai Yamato's beam. I also will receive word from the Taiyoko soon." She said.

"So, you're back for some more!" Kazuya said with hubris. He, Daigo, and Keiko flew close to one another. Igniting its back engines, SolAka went ahead and ascended. Both Hiori and Yuchi fearlessly charged towards one another.

"I will distract it. Combine now!" The Princess said.

"Roger that!" Kazuya replied, "Okay team, it's time for combine! V CROSS!"

Kazuya's jet broke formation and rolled a one-eighty, underside upward. The V-Jet's wings retract. The V Strike, Daigo's larger plane, followed the V Jet closely behind. Its long nose reclined, and the fuselage connected underneath the V Jet. Its wing engines fold over its back. Even in their incomplete form, Daigo and Kazuya guide the ships closer to the ground. It followed Heiji's V Tank.

"Okay, my turn. Detaching the barrel!" Heiji pressed a button and then pulled on the control levers. A small explosion took off the tank's large cannon and the vehicle reversed. The aerial machines fly over, and the tank floated above the street. The tank was hovering off the ground using bottom thrusters; the flanks stretch outward, and then the tank connected to V Strike. Subsequently, hands protract from the tank's lower side, forming usable arms. Ken's V Car repeated the same action as his senior's, reversing his car and stretching out the flanks. The car hovered and connected under the tank. Feet project out from under Ken's vehicle; the legs were made.

"This is Sakakihara, preparing to mount the wings." She said. As the combined vehicle lifted, Keiko's V Falcon did a half a loop. It retracted its head, dived towards the rising machine, and attached to the back. The underside of Kazuya's jet split open and a pair of golden eyes emit a flash. A face was revealed; over its eyes, a blade formed into a gold crescent shaped crest ( _maedate_ ).

The machine raised its arms, "Dai! Yamato! Five! Has Arrived!"

It was a clash against three giants. The snake Yuchi still had an appetite for the bird; SolAka's claws and Yamato's chest burn like the sun, with the righteous will to bring light over fear. Still, like it had an evil will to provoke the Earth and Shirei soldiers, Yuchi would heal and its body refused to die. What was the key to winning?

Friends needed to come together again.

( **Next chapter**  is Dai-Yamato and Solaka vs Yuchi! A red power of justice?)


	13. An explosive bond! Arrive, Sekishinken! (爆発性の結束! 着く、赤芯剣!)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dai-Yamato V and SolAka face off against Yuchi.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> March 2014. This is the most recent chapter. I think the grammar clears up a bit, but the story is getting less gushy?
> 
> I started putting the machines' names in italics.
> 
> Made an error. In parts of the story, I say its Summer; in this chapter, I say it's Spring. I think in this month, it's late Spring in Japan. I'll have to check and edit.
> 
> This is also the start of "heroic blaze data".

**[** **Heroic Blaze DATA**! (壮烈火炎 データ)]

Monster "Yuchi"

Classification: HSL 1 – Hsienlong Project

Total Length: 210m (Can it rival Danguard A?!)

Qualities/Attacks: Atomic breath, autotomy, winged flight

Yuchi is not a machine but a fusion creature devised by the mind of Shenbu R&D chief, Hsienlong Yan. Using his  _binimūtā_  device, Yan combined the cells of a marine bird and a boa to form Yuchi. Its autotomy is enforced by having wings. Yuchi's name means "feather snake" in Mandarin Chinese; therefore, its namesake is from the Aztec term  _Quetzalcohuātl_. Total weight is described as "unindentified  _tonne_ ".

Later, Hoshizawa will identify it as "Target  _Yokubi_ " (a mix of  _yoku_  and  _hebi_. Wing snake)

As the chapters progress, more data will become revealed for monsters, mecha, weapons, characters, and architecture/materials.

* * *

 

_Yuchi must be struck down; Hiori's burning determination produces a tool of victory_

April 6th, a Spring morning in Japan; also, it was the second day of a historical event.

The Earth invasion of Emperor Yang began yesterday, and there was little time for a break. The relentless winged snaked, dubbed  _Yuchi_  by the Shenbu forces, returned to the Hoshizawa base in Minato, Tokyo, only to be confronted by  _SolAka_  and  _Dai Yamato V_. When  _Yuchi_ 's approach and the appearance of the two giant robots were noticed by Tokyo's residents, the streets quickly cleared. They headed for underground shelters built during the Cold War when propaganda relayed the probability of bombings from overseas and extraterrestrial life. A large robot battle was known to be of a dangerous scale.

 _Miss Mari said "rapid regeneration". It sounds like something unbeatable_ , Hiori's thoughts were formed from a slight feeling of doubt in her heart.

"It has certainly grown in mass compared to last night," Mari said through radio communication. From the safety of the base, she and others watched via laser satellite ranging. The automated monitor cameras and base security cameras weren't the best choice for observing an aerial battle; ever since Sakakihara's V Falcon docked with the Yamato V, visual imagery and data collection became restricted. There was also the insight of the pilots as they battled, and even news reports.

"Really? Good!" Kazuya said. "Then that just makes it a bigger target. Let's get it!"

"OK!" The Hoshizawa team shouted in unison. They showed a one-hundred percent certainty to face their opponent.

 _But no matter what, we will do it_. Hiori had to encourage herself as much as her human companions did.  _SolAka_  splayed out its golden wings, ignited its back dual rockets, and propelled towards  _Yuchi_. The snake flung itself at the bird mecha; closing in, it snapped its jaws.  _SolAka's_  rocket nozzles vectored, veering the phoenix mecha. Yuchi's jaw crushed nothing. Hiori reached with an arm as the snake's long body passed by; imitating its pilot, the giant phoenix's gold claws gouge into  _Yuchi's_  scales. It hung on like a hook to a fish's mouth. The winged snake screeched and beat its wings, mounting above Minato's skyscrapers and taking the bird with it.

"After it!" said Kazuya, which his teammates promptly replied with an "OK!"  _Dai Yamato V_  raised its arms, and the V Falcon on its back flared its jet engines. The giant robot took to the air.

 _What do I do?_  Again, Hiori wondered over the autotomy as she hung on. Even though the Earth man Kazuya remained straight-forward and positive over his way to reach victory, the alien princess remained concerned. She spent most of her war time back on Shirei fighting breakable machines. They were repaired over time, but weren't beyond supernatural.

"What ever the reason, it'll be found!" Hiori said to herself and squeezed her hand.  _SolAka_  dragged backwards, its attached talon ripping through the snake's scales and leaving gashes.  _Yuchi's_  long body lashed up and down; clearly, the snake registered pain.

"If I have to slash it over and over again, I will!" Resolving herself, Hiori advanced again.  _SolAka_  straightened its body and engaged its boosters, letting go of the scales and then ascending for  _Yuchi's_  head with an outstretched claw. The snake turned and opened its large maw, and within the next instant it snapped down.

"Guh!" Hiori cried and grabbed her waist.  _SolAka's_  lower torso was caught in between the snake's teeth.

"It got her!" Daigo exclaimed.

"Time for action!" Kazuya said. "Yamato Gun!" From  _Dai Yamato's_  right hip, a hidden compartment popped open. The Japanese mecha reached down and took out a large black handgun. It looked old fashioned by a first glance, even feeble. It was equivalent to the Nambu models from the World Wars era or what the police carried – distinguished by its slender cylindrical barrel. It looked very simple.

 _A projectile gun_ , Hiori wondered.

"Aim carefully!" After Daigo's words, the  _Yamato_  raised its gun. It took a short moment to aim before pulling the trigger, and then a whistle sounded out. The pistol's anti-recoil bolt bucked back; a swift ray of light passed through the sky and ripped through  _Yuchi's_  head. Its mouth freed  _SolAka_  in turn to release its scream.  _SolAka_  slowly sunk, holding its waist.

"Nice shot!" Kazuya swung his arm in a jovial gesture.

"Good. At least it's susceptible to pain," Ken said.

"Of course it is, it's a living creature," said his senior Heiji.

"Well, what I mean is that it seems to flinch easily, despite being able to heal quickly."

Hearing Ken's words, Hiori nodded her head in agreement. After having fought  _Yamikyo_ , she was glad to fight something that had the durability of paper. While Yuchi was easy to wound, its endurance was determined by its rapid healing factor.

 _Dai Yamato_  kept its gun aloft, held the trigger, and fired one beam shot after another like a semi-automatic. The beams holed through the massive scales; as if it grew more daring,  _Yuchi_  bore through the pain of the lasers and dove towards  _Dai Yamato_.

"Here it comes!" Kazuya acknowledged.  _Dai Yamato_  hastened its ascent; the acceleration threw the mecha right into Yuchi head first.

"Uwah!" A severe rumble coursed through the five man team as soon as  _Yuchi_  reached their front visual display. The giant winged snake stalled mid-air, and then its nose was grabbed by  _Dai Yamato's_  free hand.  _Yamato_ swung its other hand and slammed the side of its gun into  _Yuchi's_  eye repetitively. The snake flinched from each strike.

"Reckless, reckless." Daigo grumbled in between his clenching teeth, he and the crew shaking in their seats as _Dai Yamato_  continued to pistol-whip the snake's face.  _It was no good_ , the blue uniformed pilot thought, and that quickly became the mutual thought of the Hoshizawa crew.

 _SolAka_  resumed ascent at its quarry; Yuchi opened its mouth and  _SolAka_  closed in, throwing a bright hot hook laterally at the snake's head. The phoenix's talon accumulated solar power with its arm plumages and the hook burned through Yuchi's scales, leaving a blotch of scalded flesh on the side of its head.

"Yikes!" Kazuya cried after  _Yuchi's_  radiation breath cannon grazed  _Dai Yamato's_  shoulder. SolAka's interference had made the shot inaccurate. Hiori knew  _Yuchi's_  intention, having seen it nearly take down Kazuya's aircraft last night with the same attack. She also thought that it might've been the snake's only attack. The solar glow from SolAka's fist faded, but Hiori kept her mecha's fist pressed firmly at the snake's head.  _Soon enough, it'll regenerate_ were her thoughts.

Kazuya sighed from relief. "Whew thanks, you saved me again," he said, touching his helmet's visor with his fingers. It was in the way of his forehead, which was tickled by a sweat.

"Damage at the shoulder. That beam cut through the armor," Keiko Sakakihara reported. "It's still usable, but we need to avoid that beam."

"We need to destroy that thing now. No more showing off," Daigo asserted.

"Nope, showing off is what we have to do," Kazuya said. He opened a com link to the base. "HQ Command, deploy the  _Chowaken_."

In response, Mari's face appeared on his panel screen.

"Kazuya, I told you that the best option was to use the  _Dai Yamato's_  beam," Mari said. "Using fundamental attacks is pointless. You can slow it down and hurt it, but you need to use heavier attacks to hinder its regeneration cells."

"Isn't that a theory though?" Kazuya asked. "It's an alien snake."

"Hoshizawa, you have no other plan other than to beat it silly." Mari's words seeped out slowly with a sore tone.

"It's an extra just in case the beam doesn't succeed. It's pretty fast."

As Kazuya and Mari contended,  _Yuchi's_  skin was refreshing. Angling its wings,  _SolAka_  retreated using its verniers and vectoring back engines. Half of the snake's body wound around and followed the bird, knocking  _SolAka_  into a windmilling fall. Hiori felt the force of the blow, her body stunned, but she collected breath and rebalanced her phoenix. She landed both feet on the city street and looked up to see the snake diving towards her. Yuchi fired off another atomic beam from its jaws. It touched the street and then angled towards SolAka, razing through the concrete and every vehicle that was in its way. Everything touched was charred to a black crisp; vehicles that were only swiped exploded from their hit gas tanks.

 _It's after me again_ , Hiori thought. SolAka turned and took the air. It splayed out its wings' feathers full array, pulled them back, and then fired the boosters at max. It stretched out its arms and took high into the clouds. Yuchi batted its wings in frenzy and undulated its lower half to force lift after the phoenix.

"Hoshizawa crew, it is dangerous down there. If you want to use your beam, let's put the snake out in the wide open," Hiori said.

Back at HQ, Mari Quail sighed and held her forehead. She thought of both the sword and the V Blast as the best options on disrupting  _Yuchi's_  cell-signal system with V Blast being the best choice for its most concentrated ion output. She couldn't think beyond superficial as  _Yuchi_  was a unique organism. Fascination wracked her mind as she wondered over the snake's molecules, and how what she was witnessing "truth". A part of the development and maintenance staff, Mari wanted to deeply ponder how  _Dai Yamato_  could fight effectively.

Eventually, she made her choice. "I understand. Alright, engaging  _Shin Gunto Chouwaken_. I'll let the command personnel know," Mari said. There was another thing she took into account – Kazuya was correct about the snake's speed, but there was also its body length and mass. The attacks needed to be accurate and engulf Yuchi in destruction.

A moment later, each _Dai Yamato V_  pilot received a message on their panel screens. It read in large golden Kanji symbols and both Hepburn and English letters: "CHOHWAKEN – BLADE OF JUSTICE" (超和剣 正義の刃). As  _SolAka_  ducked through another bite from  _Yuchi_ , the  _Dai Yamato_  returned to base. A yellow transport truck with an open load bed rolled onto a landing runaway. Mounted on it was a large sheathed  _shin gunto_ : a "new military sword" or a modernized Japanese sword from the Meiji and Post-War eras, the roots of  _Dai Yamato_. It was distinguished by its sling and pommel tassel.

"Gale Talon!"  _SolAka's_  attack plowed through the snake's scales again, ripping them like paper. Hiori continued to defend herself, all the while waiting for  _Dai Yamato_  to return. Also, while watching the regeneration. The princess then screamed as she felt her ankle tighten and her stomach drop. Yuchi's tail twined around  _SolAka's_  leg and flung the bird earthward. The snake opened its jaws again, firing its radiation breath at the descending bird.  _SolAka_  flipped and the beam struck its back. Quickly, it drove the bird straight into the pavement.

"PRINCESS!" At the same time as Kazuya's scream,  _Yuchi_  dived and then its body thrashed uncontrollably from its raging stimuli. The  _Dai Yamato_ engaged its back wing rockets and rushed in, the Chowaken in one full swing cleaving straight through the tip of the snake's tail. The segment of flesh dropped onto the roadway below.

SolAka lay flat in the pavement, smoke rising from its back. A moment later, it rose onto one knee.

"Princess, are you okay?" Keiko asked.

"Yes," Hiori said.  _Dai Yamato_  landed with its sword unsheathed in hand. The sheath was attached to its waist. The Grand Five watched  _SolAka_  standing to its feet and kept their machine a distance. There was a feeling of wariness. Behind the phoenix was a glowing round item, displaying an avian rousant with wings and long rectricies elevated. The glow faded quickly. Hiori breathed a sigh of relief, glad in her heart that her Emblem saved her.

 _Yuchi_  landed in between the two mecha with its severed tail, facing  _SolAka_.

 _Why?_  Hiori thought, noticing the snake when she looked over her shoulder. Why was the snake so affixed onto her?

"Guh!" Stimulus rippled through her body and her ears felt a ping.  _The Soul Gem was reacting again_ , she thought. She was still new to using SolAka, but realized so far that not only was damage relayed to her, but the Soul Gem seemingly reacted to her emotions. The material still had its secrets; at the moment, what she didn't feel was pain. She couldn't register it and put a reason into words, and there wasn't much time for her to think.

"You like beams so much? Let's see how you like this!" The voice of Kazuya broke through Hiori's concentration.  _SolAka_  took the sky again, in which  _Yuchi_  promptly followed. The rest of the Grand Five team voiced their procedure.

"Nuclear engine drive stable, output increasing!"

"Condenser stability 100%! Channeling to front armor!"

"Adjusting posture."

"Perfecting the aim!"

"OK!"  _Dai Yamato_  raised its arms and its heavy body bent back a little. Light accumulated at the V-shaped crest fitted at front, raging with a bright fiery color.  _SolAka_  lured  _Yuchi_  at a distance above the buildings until the snake's back faced  _Dai Yamato_. It was curled into a S-shaped Pattern.

"V Blaaaaaaaast!" At Kazuya's earnest cry, the collected energy outstretched into beam fire, darting above the city without any deviation. The beam speared through Yuchi twice, breaking the snake into three parts. The dismembered reptile crashed into the ground.

The sound of a long silence invited happiness.

"We did it!" Cheers erupted from radio transmission.  _SolAka_  and  _Dai Yamato_  stood by the snake remains. The feeling like it had ended was dense among the Earth men. Hiori, however, still felt uncertain and wouldn't turn away. She looked at the piece of tail that was chopped off; after a while, there was no sign of regeneration. She looked at the rest, including its lifeless head. The V-Blast had clear burrowed through Yuchi's lumbar and neck. Its power surprised her; wound ballistics was a deviant from electrical and radiation burns, and beam weapons were built to a level of intensity where tissue and matter were corroded completly from a single touch. The atmosphere was also responsible. The cavitation from the V-blast swelled considerably, causing Yuchi's thickened flesh to snap.

"Did its regeneration slow down?" Hiori wondered out loud.  _Dai-Yamato_  sheathed the Chowaken.

"I'd say we broke the vertebrae, along with its neuron signals. That's why some creatures can heal," Daigo said. His voice was somber as usual, which made his response feel realistic without question.

"A giant super robot's sure-kill attacks always defeat the early enemies!" However, Kazuya had a more subjective answer.

"This is not anime, Hoshizawa!" Daigo countered. Hiori looked at  _Dai Yamato_ , then back at  _Yuchi's_  remains.

The flesh began to glimmer green. Thread-shaped energy seeped from the orifices of  _Yuchi's_  body parts, slithering across the ground and attaching to each other. Slowly, like a sewing needle through a textile, the threads were pulling the pieces back together. Attaching, new cartilage formed. The Hoshizawa team gasped.

"The V Blast didn't work?!" Kazuya said. "Damn it, that thing is desperate!"

From its owner cry,  _SolAka_  unleashed a Nova Blast from its crown. On impact, the projectiles burst upon the snake remains, halting the autonomy. It was only for a short moment;  _Yuchi_  languidly unfurled its refreshed body and wings, like a dragon awakening from a long deep sleep. Its jaws hung agape as it gave out a vehement hiss, its forked tongue writhing at  _SolAka_.

"Hey! Why don't you turn around?!" Kazuya provoked angrily. "We're the ones who shot you you slimy snake!"  _Dai Yamato_  charged on foot and took out its sword again. The Chowaken was brandished; Yuchi's neck curved around entirely and the Chowaken twirled in the air, along with Dai Yamato's arm from an atomic beam shot. The Grand Five screamed; now with one arm, Dai Yamato considerably backed away.

"You MONSTER!" Hiori moved quickly;  _SolAka_  made one leap and its rockets pushed the phoenix into the shake. Hiori grabbed the snake's jaws, causing it to thrash around. Another visceral response from SolAka caused Hiori's head to sway; Yuchi's wings were slapping against  _SolAka's_  face.  _I'll go for the head_ , Hiori thought,  _that must do it_! SolAka retreated many paces, and raised its claw and sun plumages.

"Princess Hiori?" Before another action, Hiori heard from Hoshizawa HQ. The voice was unfamiliar; it wasn't Quail at all, rather it was someone of the opposite gender.

"Yes?" She replied.

"We received a call."

"From who?"

"It's the  _Taiyoko_!"

"They're here?!" Hiori was elated.

"Its distant is still too far for support, but the ship commander said that they sent something."

During the conversation,  _Dai Yamato_  jumped and gripped Yuchi with its only one arm. The snake writhed again as if the Japanese samurai robot was just a pest, but it was distracting enough for SolAka to take into the air.

Another transmission came in: "Princess Soratoga! This is Homura!"

"What?!" Hiori sounded surprised. That was the name of one of her people: Homura was the spectacled Ho-Ou crew member of the Supply Corps. They were truly a necessity to the war, but even she wondered what Homura had that could prove useful against a regenerating snake? Many of Shirei referred to him as a "Support officer", and it was known that he had dropped his family name. In addition, he had a link to the aerial vehicles of the Ho-Ou line.

An orange beam streaked over the buildings. Hiori cringed again, another ring throbbing through her ears. SolAka rose into the flight path as the ray. The streak wasn't slowing down. It felt like watching a missile approaching its target, but Hiori didn't experience the fear of death approaching. She kept her mecha still.

The light faded, revealing a white fighter craft with a long thin swept wing design and an underslung air intake. It also had a red inlet cone.

"An aircraft?" Hiori was perplexed.  _Was it from the Taiyoko_ , she thought

Homura relayed another message: "When I get closer, grab the  _Tama-Seki_."

"Say what?!"

"Trust me. Entering Seki Coat mode!"

Hiori cringed again from a ring through her ears. There wasn't much time to think. She then raised her arm, guiding her mecha, to reach out for the incoming aircraft. It looked like the  _Tama-Seki_  would end up crushed like a useless pest, boldly approaching the significantly larger super robot without breaking formation.

Before  _SolAka's_  claws reached, a bright flash appeared. Emitting from the  _Tama-Seki_. Suddenly, a cylindrical mechanism slid out from the aircraft rear. The wings shift into forward swept. Suddenly, the canopy's transparent polycarbonate changed to a vivid green. The same anomaly transferred to the entire aircraft – its whole paint job became red.  _SolAka_  grabbed the shaft.

To conclude, a double-edged blade protruded from the inlet cone. When everything was completed, the  _Tama-Seki's_  wings looked like a horn grip.

"What is this, Homura?" Hiori could only ask in her astonishment. There was no reply from the pilot. "Homura?"

After a while, Homura's voice echoed Hiori's head. "Princess, this is the  _Sekishinken_  (赤芯剣)," he said.

In its talon,  _SolAka_  wielded a sublime message of what happens when something threatens the precious ambiance of living creatures. The snake  _Yuchi_  advanced again, unafraid of the new change.

The Sekishinken's blade began to brim with crimson.


	14. Sekishinken's Special Attack! (赤芯剣の必殺技!)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Sekishinken is waved!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Rekka Makko Giri means "fiery front murder". Makko also describes a sword strike; giri/kiri can mean "to chop" but often related to killing someone.
> 
> Regarding Ken and Heiji, there are various ways to say "ho" (duty, walking, etc) and "jin" (person, god, etc).

**[** **Heroic Blaze DATA**! ( 壮烈火炎 データ) ]

Mecha "Seki" and "Tama-Seki"

Classification: YGK 17 and YGK17K – Fighter Aircraft

Total Length: 18.2m (Wingspan: 11m)

Max Speed: Mach 1.8 – 2.5

Qualities/Attacks: MP SPG and RS Field (Reverse-Solar), Hyper Pulse Powerplant

Colors: Orange and white

Developed by the Ho-Ou Military before the Shirei Alliance was created, the Seki line is a class of fighter planes with a MP SPG or a multi-purpose solar-powered generator, which is capable of supplementary properties. The RS Field helps in controlling gravity pressure for a limited amount of time.

The Seki are built for high-speed performance, equipped with laser cannons and missile pods; however, its descendant the  _Tama_  was built with an altered fuselage to support SolAka. The  _Tama_  is also powered by the Soul Gem and is the secret behind the  _Sekishinken_ (red soul sword). Also,  _Tama-Seki_  is capable of changing its swept wing to forward swept wing, which forms the hilt's guard of the  _Sekishinken_.

The classification is from the term  _yougekiki_ (要撃機) , which means interceptor jet. For the  _Tama_ , the ending "K" stands for  _ken_  (剣), meaning sword.  _Seki_ means "red";  _tama_  means soul (魂).

* * *

_Homura brings the Sekishinken, the Red Soul Sword, and Yuchi learns to remain on the ground._

****

"The  _Sekishinken_?"

"That's right. It is a sword that can connect to  _SolAka_." Homura's voice was close, an omnipresent echo that left his princess and, as consequence,  _SolAka_  in hesitation. Hiori stared at her new weapon alluringly as she wondered; she was the only one who stood in  _SolAka'_ s blue bond chamber. Therefore, she assumed that Homura was still in the fighter plane – in which  _SolAka_  was holding. In her hand was a photogenic spike, representing the sword.

"Watch out!" There wasn't much time for a casual conversation; rising from below was Yuchi after it threw a one-armed  _Dai Yamato_  aside. Hiori dismissed her curiosity and angled her arm up. She held the spike of light in both hands;  _SolAka_  imitated the same motion, and then swung the sword in one vertical motion. The stroke was quick, dramatically flashing a bright red and painting the sky with a crescent of light. Yuchi stopped mid-air, a red gash splitting through its jaws. The snake went completely taut, its wings out and its long body aligned.

"Princess, finish it!"

" _Sekishinken_ final blow!" Hearing Homura's words, Hiori's arm shifted upward; SolAka brought the sword over its head.

" _Ho! Jin! Zaaaaaan_! (火神斬)" From a head-on swoop, the red blade struck the snake's head.

"Look! SolAka has a sword!" said Ken.

Kazuya's ecstatic guffaw sounded through the radio channel. "Of course!" He said. "Of course it has a sword!" In Kazuya's head supplied with ideas of science fiction from television and books, the  _SolAka_  to him would not be a giant robot or even on the same standing as  _Dai Yamato_  without a melee weapon.

_SolAka_  stretched its gold wings at full length, and with one talon quickly drew back the sword to waist level in a fashion reminiscent of a pre-modern era warrior. Like a c _hiburi_  - the movement where a sword shakes off blood after striking a foe and before returning to the sheath. The start of an enemy's death, and the closing of the weapon that brought upon that death. Yuchi was cleaved, slowly. From head to tail, a glowing red crack slid through its long body. Its entire length fell in two and exploded. The fanciness of it all brought a definite certainty that it was over.

"Excellent! Excellent!" Kazuya cried out in exaltation as though he witnessed an amazing show. "Let's call it  _Rekka Makkō Giri_  (烈火真っ向斬り)!"

"If you want to, but I believe it is named already Hoshizawa," said Daigo, to which Keiko nodded her head in agreement.

" _Hojinzan_?" Little Ken cupped his chin in thought. "It sounds like it is meant to kill people by trampling on them."

"Actually, I think it has a lot to do with respecting human or law. Or doesn't ' _ho_ ' mean a phoenix?" said Heiji. The junior and senior, green and yellow suit respectively, hummed together in thought.

Closing its wings and decreasing the exhaust of its back engines,  **SolAka**  slowly lowered to land. Glittering ruby specks rained down on the streets below. That's what was left of Yuchi, and the struggle against it felt like a nightmare that finally ended in peace. A peace accomplished by a single sword; it was too mystic having reigned against a supernatural regeneration. The snake became ashes after the rage of a fire.

"Why are you piloting the plane? Isn't it dangerous?" Hiori asked, expecting for the unseen Homura to reply. In other words, she wondered why a Logistics member was flying a fighter.

"Since the expert  _Seki_  Pilots are facing the Shenbu armada. I volunteered."

"You did?"

"I always loved flying, but never continued that path when I entered the military for war."

Hiori was quiet; she was satisfied until on short notice when another question entered her mind. "That's right. you are from a family of pilots and engineers, aren't you?"

"The  _Tama-Seki_  was a suggestion by my father." Homura said. Evading a straight answer, he wanted to disclose that first. He wanted to deliberate the next words to his princess carefully, feeling a bit of pressure in his chest when it come to communicating his aim. "As for my family, they were." he continued. "Many were pilots and engineers. I just didn't want to follow them completely. But my decision was decided by my father."

Her line of thought being simple, Hiori asked, "He told you to join Logistics?"

"No. He was all about helping the Shirei Alliance and pushed himself in the  _Tama-Seki_  Project. He really cared about that a lot. Maybe it's parent instinct or patriotism. To tell you the truth, even though I loved flying and I had the blood of my family, I just wasn't up for the cut. So, I took another path, even though I still remain 'helpful' to those in need. Also-"

"Also?"

"Also, many can't forget...the weariness. Despite what my father cared about, many could not forget my family's weariness."

"What do you mean?"

Hiori was truly curious; Homura was silent, and a streak of slight darted out of Solaka's hand. The  _Sekishinken_  disappeared and the  _Tama-Seki_  took to the air. It headed for the Hoshizawa base.

* * *

The variable sweep wing  _Tama-Seki_ , and the touching (or rather unusual) impression of Homura's family, brought forth the defeat of Yuchi. In the next chapter,  _Mogera_  dominates the ground. Ikaruga's  _Seki_  Squadron takes on the  _Heii_.


	15. A Shadowy Sky (暗い空)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dogfight above the ocean

[ **Heroic Blaze DATA**! ( 壮烈火炎 データ) ]

 _Person_ Hiori Soratoga (空途駕 火折)

Affiliation: Planet Shirei (Ho-Ou Tribe, Minami Kingdom)

Height: 166cm ( 5'5" )

Weight: 58kg ( 127 lbs )

Bloodtype: O

Nature: Sense of justice is strong (正義感の強い) , generous (大らか)

The main protagonist of this work and the pilot of the titular SolAka. A member of the Planet Shirei's Ho-Ou tribe, her family is very influential, making her the next queen of her kingdom. She is a caring, big sisterly type of person. However, despite being calm and considering, Hiori can exert much fervor. The reason why she is willing to protect the Earth is because she's easily touched by how beautiful a world and its inhabitants are. Hiori had been working as a teacher in disguise, but after Emperor Yang appeared she compromised herself to face his invasion. Or maybe it's all from her sense of responsibility as an up-and-coming queen of a captured planet?

* * *

 

_The Black Wings cause a riot in the air_

 

 

"No wait! Shibaya!" First Lieutenant Ikaruga (鵤) took a short glimpse outside of his canopy, and caught the sight of a swelling fire. Shots lance right through the fuselage of an orange fighter, a YGK 17 _Seki,_ shredding it apart before Ikaruga's eyes. A trail of smoke trailed behind it as it plummeted into a mountain range. From a distance, he saw a small explosion.

"Bandit Tango Tree, stay alert. Over." The Lieutenant transmitted to the rest of his flight.

"Roger!"

Ikaruga looked all around his canopy, and then changed his radio spectrum to the aircraft that he saw became flame. " _Seki_ -3, respond." He gained nothing but static; the frequency was empty. Looking around, he saw nothing but open sea and hills. His chest tightened, a pain he felt from being unable to see an escape pod or a parachute. He knew the plane was obliterated after seeing that explosion.

 _Am I trying to deny it?_ Ikaruga's thoughts were somber, mixed with anger. Did the escape pod fail? The power options completely shut down? Whatever the case, he was now down to three aircraft: Himself as _Seki_ -1, _Seki_ -2 Tagahane (差羽), and _Seki_ -4 Jimanosuke (島之介). Ikaruga had known of the repercussions for his choice to distract the enemy armada, but he didn't think it would follow him after re-entry. No, he and his team were not followed, but he thought that rendezvous with _Taiyoko_ would be a cake walk.

Trying to follow the path of the _Taiyoko_ , the _Seki_ squadron found themselves in an archipelago within the Pacific. They landed and remained there, keeping their radio frequencies low to avoid detection. Especially after deploying their RS Field, they needed to recharge their solar generator. They knew that the Shenbu Armada entered the atmosphere as well and kept caution, depending on their survival training and patience. After charging enough, they set off to Japan. It was then they were suddenly fired upon. Nothing was bouncing off their radars until now.

"I have visual! 6'o'clock," Tagahane stated. "Azimuth 205 degrees!"

Following the orange fighters were three black planes with high sweep back wings. The wings lie so close together with the fuselage that they looked trilateral in shape. They were higher in altitude, diving from above and closing in on the _Seki_ squadron.

 _A recon team? Are we close to the enemy?_ Ikaruga's thought overlapped the wonder over how he was found out. _Since they're in dogfight, they can't stabilize their stealth this time_. Three on three, both squads spread. Tagahane and Jimanosuke banked into a circling motion to shift the enemy's attack path, and were immediately followed.

Ikaruga banked and lift vectored to increase altitude; he was chased as well. The _Seki's_ pulse radar traced the Doppler shift clearly. No ambiguity; the stealth was compromised and the enemy earnestly went to attack like true fighters. Still, he had to keep his tail out of fire. Ikaruga looked past his shoulder, and then looked at the radar. He switched to Track Mode and touched the screen: his black bandit was closing in, going for lag pursuit of the Seki's tail. The same radar showed the enemy's Aspect Angle and Angle-Off, the geometry of the pursuit. They were nearly parallel. His wingmen were chased as well; each _Seki_ was tailed by one enemy.

Ikaruga's defense system let out a series of beeps that were gradually picking up speed, indicating that the enemy was close to having a clear shot of his six-o-clock. It was six-o-clock low, increasing its nose to enter a weapon's range. The _Seki_ rolled canopy down and dived quick. The black destroyer was broken out of the stalemate, passing overhead. That was to be expected from a pure pursuit, and Ikaruga and the rest of his team knew to prioritize defense against an unknown foe that had the drop of them. The black bandit was turning around to retreat; a low chaser in the blind spot was too deadly.

 _Does it have missiles? Doesn't seem like it_.

" _Guu_ …!" While pulling a tight turn, Ikaruga felt the pummeling G-force. His body was yanked against his seat, he panted to desperately keep in his air. He began to figure that the reason behind the black bandit chasing him closer was due to gun range. Stealth aircraft, on a conventional level, were mainly for the element of surprise and for long-range strikes. Having it hold fewer encumbrances made the flight steadier and less reflective on detection. It made further sense with how his wingman was shot down so quickly: the ranged beam cannon, infamous for being mounted on ships, was worrisome enough. He also noticed, compared to the other two black planes, how larger his pursuer's aircraft was.

Rather, as of now, the pursuer was the one being pursued. Ikaruga increased his aircraft's speed. The black bandit relaxed its angle, and Ikaruga's _Seki_ pulled up enough that it had the drop on its foe.

"I have you!" Ikaruga squeezed the trigger, so hard that he wouldn't let go even if his energy ran out. Over his HUD, the Seki's lasers lace and bend across the sky.

"Huh?!" The Lieutenant uttered. The black bandit rolled; Ikaruga yelped in surprise as the outside of his canopy was filled with black smoke. He could have not been hit or so he thought. In a panic, he turned out to restore his view. He was positive that his guns had struck the black aircraft.

 _What was that?!_ It was in a blink of an eye, and he could not process what had happened.

"Seki-1, look out!" cried one of the wingman. Ikaruga looked at his radar: The black bandit cruised towards him at even higher speeds. The Angle-Out changed from 40 degrees and dropped to 0 in a blink. Ikaruga checked the radar and then looked behind both shoulders. Nothing was behind him.

_BELOW!_

"Ugh!" Ikaruga's _Seki_ jolted. He heard metal screech. His plane sounded like it cried in pain, violated like a car sideswiping it violently. The _Seki_ began to lose lift.

"Seki-1, I'm going down!" Checking one of his multi-faction display windows, a diagram of his aircraft popped up, blinking red. The Hyper Pulse Plant was severely damaged.

"Leader!" The other wingmen could only scream as they watched Ikaruga fall towards the waters, further building on their distress from after losing Shibaya.

Ikaruga looked above him and could only think, _it is also capable of that_?!

Now it was three against two. Tsuoyang, Emperor Yang's masked bodyguard, had confidence in his _Heii II_ (黑翼). He sought vengeance for the fallen _Luo_ in space.


End file.
